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Gallery @ the Embassy 

On exhibit from 11 June – 29 August 2008

Noreen PWERLE Wild Orange Dreaming 1988 batik on silk The Holmes à Court Collection, Heytesbury © Noreen Pwerle licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency 2008

A collection of silk batiks by Indigenous Australian artists from the Utopia region will be on display at the Embassy of Australia in Washington DC from 11 June until 29 August 2008. UTOPIA – A Picture Story showcases a unique body of work drawn from the Holmes à Court collection of art in Perth, Western Australia.

Utopia is a community located approximately 3 hours drive north-east of Alice Springs in Northern Australia. The community is best known for the works produced by its senior women artists, in particular Ada Bird Petyarre, Kathleen Petyarre and Gloria Tamerre Petyarre - all of whose works are featured in this exhibition.

The batiks in this exhibition have never been shown in the United States before, and represent some of the earliest works produced by Australian indigenous artists. 

The Utopia region has an extreme desert climate. In the summer months temperatures reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and in winter the nights are freezing, with frosts between June and August. The area receives little rain and during periods of drought vegetation is sparse – consisting mostly of bush-scrub and spinifex. The beauty of this arid desert landscape provides much of the inspiration for the artists of this region. After rains, the transformation of the desert is extraordinary. The red sands seemingly spring into life; covered with an abundance of brightly coloured wildflowers and fruits. 

 

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