Contemporary narratives from the Kimberley, WA

The Art Gallery of Western Australia is leading the way in the curation and presentation of contemporary Aboriginal art as seen in their landmark survey of arts practice in the Kimberley.
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Garry Sibosado, Aalingoon (Rainbow Serpent) 2018 (detail). Ochre pigment on engraved pearl shell, thirty-four parts, 182 x 28 cm (overall). Photo: Michael Jalaru Torres at Kooljaman Beach. 2018

Adopting a new and experimental curatorial framework, Desert River Sea: Portraits of the Kimberley at the Art Gallery Western Australia (AGWA) is an ambitious survey exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal art from the Kimberley – a region covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometres in northern WA and encompassing some 200 Aboriginal communities and 30 language groups.

The resulting exhibition has been developed in partnership with Kimberley Aboriginal arts centres and independent artists, and features over 150 works, including eight new commissions as well as works from AGWA and art centre collections. 

According to Carly Lane, a Murri woman from Queensland and Curator of Indigenous Australian and First Nations Arts at AGWA, Desert River Sea is far more than an exhibition.

‘It’s more than art – it’s about our lives as Aboriginal people including our place in Australian society. It’s also about celebrating who we are now and trying to build wider understanding of Aboriginal people and culture through art,’ she told ArtsHub.

The curatorial approach of Desert River Sea – which included deep engagement with Aboriginal communities, artists and arts centres to share their stories, facilitated by AGWA’s commitment to Aboriginal self-determination – has already sparked interest from curators and directors at other major Australian art galleries.

And with critics including ArtsHub’s Gina Fairley praising the exhibition’s vibrancy and palpable integrity while describing the outcome as ‘something very special,’ clearly the approach has been successful.  

‘Can I just say that Emilia Galatis and I were often flying by the seat of our pants?’ Lane laughed. ‘There was so much to do and the risk involved was great because it wasn’t what you might call our normal way of bringing an exhibition together, but I think that the challenge of taking a risk really did pay off.

‘Yes, we had commissions where we asked artists to work collaboratively on a subject and medium of their choosing, but we really had a focus on professional development and inclusivity as well. So it wasn’t just about showcasing Aboriginal arts from the Kimberley; it was also enabling people – artists and curators and artworkers – to really be able to develop their practice. And we wanted to have multiple outcomes that lived beyond the exhibition and I think that’s the most exciting part of it.’

Installation view, Desert River Sea: Portraits of the Kimberley, AGWA, 2019. Garry Sibosado, Aalingoon (Rainbow Serpent) 2018 and Darrell Sibosado, Aalingoon (Rainbow Serpent) 2019.

The groundwork for Desert River Sea’s curation was developed through the Western Australian Indigenous Art Awards, Lane said.

‘There, the way that we approached what art was in the show was to go confer with the Art Award finalists about a body of work they thought best represented their practice at that moment. So those sorts of stepping stones really did lead to Desert River Sea, where you could say we gave over complete control by inviting the art centres to participate and letting them decide what they wanted to showcase – and likewise for the independents artists.’

This unique approach to the curation and presentation of Aboriginal art is not restricted to Desert River Sea. While the Six Seasons Gallery (named after the Noongar people’s six-season calendar) is dedicated to showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, AGWA is committed to breaking down silos by regularly including the work of Aboriginal artists across the entire suite of collection displays including the WA Now Gallery, which is dedicated to contemporary practice, such as the recent Julie Dowling exhibition, and an upcoming exhibition of works by TJYLLYUNGOO / Lance Chadd.

‘I feel like I’m doing some sort of catching up by honouring significant local artists like Julie Dowling and now TJYLLYUNGOO / Lance Chadd,’ said Lane. ‘I’m looking forward to continuing to feature work by Aboriginal artists across WA.’

Lane is quick to acknowledge that developing new narratives at AGWA would not be possible without the full support of the wider team she works with and AGWA’s key partners including Rio Tinto who supported the Desert River Sea project.

‘I work with a great team of people who are completely on board with the narrative of Aboriginal art history in terms of the diversity that exists and the willingness to allow many voices to speak rather than one voice,’ she said. ‘That idea of making room for others is something that really happens here at the gallery.

Visit www.artgallery.wa.gov.au for more information about Desert River Sea: Portraits of the Kimberley, which is showing at Art Gallery WA until 27 May 2019.

Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts