Warlayirti Artists

Little bit long way

So says the first of many painted car-bonnet signs as you turn off the Great Northern Highway to travel the 350 kms along the Tanami track to the Warlayirti Artists Art and Culture Centre at Balgo, the cultural hub of Wirrimanu community. Now home to at least eight different language groups, (Kukatja, Ngardi, Djaru, Warlpiri, Walmajarri, Wangkajunga, Pintupi and Manyjilyjarra), each of which carries their own history and stories. From the early 1980s, artists have been translating stories of their desert Country and Tjukurrpa (Creation Stories/Lore) onto canvas, wood, glass and other media. Significant artists include Mathew Gill, Eubena Nampitjin, Tjumpo Tjapanangka, Helicopter Tjungurrayi, Elizabeth Nyumi, Sunfly Tjampitjin, and many others. Their works continue to highlight many public and private collections, and exhibitions. An explosion of colour, this distinctive art brings the desert Country alive in celebration of the artists’ water places and Tjukurrpa — the lifeblood of their culture and Country. Stepping along the beautiful mosaics that welcome visitors to the centre, you enter a world of creativity as the artists and their paintings honour their desert homelands and the rich ancestral realm in which they live.

Address:

Tanami Track (Turn off Highway 5kms south of Halls Creek)
Nyirla Warlayirti Rd
Wirrimanu (Balgo) Community via Halls Creek WA 6770
Australia

Opening Hours

Mon to Fri 9am - 5pm and on weekends by calling 0407 123 478; closed end December to January

Coolamon art

Beautifully painted, this deep coolamon dish could be used for carrying kalyu (water) and mangarri (bush tucker). Placed on the head on top of a grass pad, women balanced these on their heads as they...

Painting songlines

Red, yellow and orange lines depict the large tali (sandhills) that dominate Tjumpo’s country around Maruwa, which lies a long way south of Balgo. This is Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) a Tingarri...

Winpa - our waterhole

For Christine and the Warlayirti Artists, the act of painting is more than just painting landscapes, or earning a livelihood. It is about connection, remembering and keeping ancient Country and...

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While you're in the area

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Warlayirti Artists Art Centre
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Warlayirti Artists Art Centre
Warlayirti Artists is one of Australia’s leading Indigenous art centres...
1 Nyirla Warlayirti Road, Tanami, WA 6770