Injalak Arts (also known as Injalak Arts and Crafts) is a non-profit, community owned Aboriginal art centre located in

Gunbalanya Gunbalanya (also spelt Kunbarlanja, and historically referred to as Oenpelli) is an Aboriginal Australian town in west Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia, about east of Darwin. The main language spoken in the community is Kunwi ...

West Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

in the Northern Territory of Australia. It was incorporated in 1989. It is known for artists working in a primarily figurative style, and continuing and developing the West Arnhem rock art tradition. It is also known for pandanus weavings. Artists are mostly

Kunwinjku The Kunwinjku (formerly written Gunwinggu) people are an Australian Aboriginal people, one of several groups within the Bininj people, who live around West Arnhem Land to the east of Darwin, Northern Territory. Kunwinjku people generally refer t ...

people; however, artists from many language groups across Arnhem Land are represented. While working within the continuous art history of the Arnhem region, Injalak Arts is part of the wider contemporary Aboriginal Art movement, which has made a large impact on the Australian and international art world.

History

Development of the market

The demand for art and artefacts from the

area began long before the incorporation of Injalak Arts and Crafts. Since early European contact, several notable collections were created and much informal trade took place. The anthropologist Baldwin Spencer visited Gunbalanya in 1912 in his role as Special Commissioner for Aboriginals and Chief Protector, staying with Paddy Cahill, the founder of the cattle station in Gunbalanya. He collected many bark paintings and fibre works, and Cahill continued to send him new works for the collection until around 1922. The American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land arrived in Gunbalanya in October 1948, and its leader

Charles Mountford Charles Pearcy Mountford OBE (8 May 189016 November 1976) was an Australian anthropologist and photographer. He is known for his pioneering work on Indigenous Australians and his depictions and descriptions of their art. He also led the Americ ...

commissioned many paintings on bark. However, for him, as for Spencer, these were still ethnographic rather than art objects, a practice “comparable with that of our stone-age ancestors of Europe”. Both the year before and the year after the Mountford expedition, the area was visited by the anthropologists Ronald M. and Catherine H. Berndt of the Australian National Research Council, working for Professor A.P. Elkin of Sydney University. They too created a notable collection. The market for Kunwinjku art began to expand from the late 1950s, largely thanks to major purchases by government institutions. The major collectors included Dorothy Bennett and Dr Scougall for the Art Gallery of New South Wales (1959-1966), the anthropologist Karel Kupka for the Basel Ethnographic Museum (1960),

Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

(1963), Musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie (1963), and his private collection (now held at the

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

), as well as Helen Groger-Wurm for the Darwin Museum and the

(1965–70). From the 1962 to 1974, the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

(CMS) marketed the “art and crafts” of Arnhem Land, selling them through a dedicated outlet in Sydney. The fourth "classic" collection of art from Gunbalanya was gathered mostly through this source, by the Australian

Aboriginal Arts Board The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

. By the 1970s, visiting collectors and casual visitors also comprised a ready market for West Arnhem Land art.

Beginnings of Injalak Arts and Crafts

The history of Injalak Arts began with a screenprinting group started in 1986. In that year, a representative of the

Duke of Edinburgh's Award The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...

scheme visited Gunbalanya with funding for people to participate. Wendy Kennedy, a teacher who came to Gunbalanya in 1974, had in 1983 accepted a position as adult educator in Gunbalanya. She and a group of her students decided on trying screenprinting for the 'hobby' element required by the award. The screenprinter Ray Young was hired to assist, and with the women sewing, they were soon producing printed fabric, bags, calico skirts, baby wraps, nappies and singlets. A number of the original participants in the Duke of Edinburgh's award, including Gabriel Maralngurra and Donna Nadjamerrek, are still involved in Injalak Arts to the present day, having become leaders within the organisation. In 1988, the men of the group moved from the adult education centre to a shed near the community council office (the shed is now known as the old CDEP workshop). Around this time, the printers began moving away from generic figurative designs to designs influenced by the traditional style and subject matter of West Arnhem Land art. This raised the attention of elders and traditional custodians of the designs such as Lofty Bardayal Nadjamerrek. But while this could have led to conflict, it slowly developed into a system of cultural protocols around commercial painting still in play at Injalak today. The screenprinting group caught the attention of the Commonwealth Government's Community Development program, which was keen to promote local business. In 1986–87, discussions and consultations were held about expanding the operations of the group to become an art centre trading a range of artistic media. This was in the context of the rapidly expanding Aboriginal Art movement at the time. In 1988, the screenprinting group successfully applied for $500,000 in funding from the Commonwealth Government, which led to the building of the Injalak Art Centre where is stands today. It was incorporated on 12 April 1989.

Development of the Art Centre

Art production picked up quickly following the creation of the new building. Screenprinting and sewing continued, and painting and weaving (primarily pandanus weaving) increased dramatically. Wendy Kennedy stayed on until 1990, before handing over interim management to the screenprinter Ray Young. The first appointed manager, Felicity Wright, arrived in October 1991. Critical in the early days of the art centre was the senior painter Thompson Yulidjirri (d. 2009), who mentored the younger artists and developed Injalak as a place for the transmission of cultural knowledge outside the traditional venues. Felicity Wright stayed on as manager until 1995, a time which saw increasing recognition for Gunbalanya artists. Samuel Namundja won the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award in the bark painting category in 1993. A series of managers between 1995 and 2001 included Andrew Headley, Matthew Johnson, Anthony Murphy and Paul Magin, until Anthony Murphy took up the position full-time again in January 2001. Anthony Murphy remained as manager until 2010. Lorna Martin arrived in August 2009 and remained as manager until December 2012. In December 2012 Injalak's first manager, Felicity Wright, returned and currently shares managerial responsibilities with Gabriel Maralngurra and Isaiah Nagurrgurrba (2014).

Cultural tourism

Since its inception, Injalak has been involved in cultural tourism, facilitating tours of nearby Injalak Hill. Injalak Hill is an important Aboriginal rock art site located just one kilometre from the art centre across the floodplain, or about a four kilometre drive via the main roads.

History of tourism at Injalak

Injalak artists have acted as guides of Injalak Hill since the opening of the art centre in 1989. Injalak Hill tours began as informal service, with tourists hiring artists as guides for rates often organised on the day. In 1992, a five-year plan for the art centre was formulated, with the Aboriginal governing body of Injalak expressing the desire to formally promote cultural tourism. The main reasons highlighted were to facilitate the understanding of Kunwinjku art and culture, and to generate work and income. As demand increased, tourists began to book in advance, and eventually by the dry season of 2000, about 10-15 tours were leaving the art centre for Injalak Hill each week.

Artists

Current artists

*Graham Badari * Gabriel Maralngurra *Glen Namundja *Ezariah Kelly *Joey Nganjmirra * Joe Guymala *Maath Maralngurra *Alicia Mardday *Anne Gumurdul *Isaiah Nagurrgurrba *Garry Djorlom *Don Namundja *Jill Nganjmirra *Lawrence Nganjmirra *Thommo Nganjmirra

Notable deceased artists associated with Injalak Arts

*England Banggala *Peter Nabarlambal * Bardayal 'Lofty' Nadjamerrek *Jimmy Kalariya Namarnyilk * Bobby Nganjmirra *Robin Nganjmirra * Thompson Yulidjirri *Ganbaladj Nabegeyo * Wanurr Bob Namundja

Media

Artists work within a range of media, prescribed by tradition and subsequent new media fostered by the art centre. * Bark painting in both ochres and acrylics *Paintings on

Arches paper Arches paper is a brand of air-dried paper that is used by printers and watercolorists. It has a warm white colour and is produced in hot-pressed, cold-pressed, and rough varieties. Arches paper is made in the village of Arches in the Vosges, France ...

in both ochres and acrylics *

Etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

s *Woven, knotted and coiled works from pandanus, including baskets, mats, dilly bags and sculptural works *Knotted fibre bags, made from kurrajong bark and Livistona humilis palm leaves * Mako (Didgeridoos) *Items of traditional culture such as

Clapstick Clapsticks, also spelt clap sticks and also known as bilma, bimli, clappers, musicstick or just stick, are a traditional Australian Aboriginal instrument. They serve to maintain rhythm in voice chants, often as part of an Aboriginal ceremony ...

spear throwers A spear-thrower, spear-throwing lever or ''atlatl'' (pronounced or ; Classical Nahuatl, Nahuatl ''ahtlatl'' ) is a tool that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in Dart (missile), dart or javelin-throwing, and includes a Plain bearing, b ...

and

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

s * Screen printed fabrics *Carvings, including Mimih Spirit carvings *Jewellery items such as earrings and necklaces, made using pandanus, seeds (commonly

Adenanthera pavonina ''Adenanthera pavonina'' is a perennial and non-climbing species of leguminous tree. Its uses include food and drink, traditional medicine, and timber. Common names and synonyms ''Adenanthera pavonina'' is commonly called Red Lucky Seed. Ot ...

) and sometimes bones.

Access

The accessibility of

via road is determined by the level and flow of the East Alligator River. Cahill's Crossing, about 16 km from Gunbalanya, may be impassable during the wet season or towards high tide. In the dry season, from May to October, the road is generally passable, though visitors are advised to check tide times and consult with Kakaku National Park or the art centre. Depending on the year, the river is often also passable in April, November and early December. Visitors are required to acquire a permit from the

Northern Land Council The Northern Land Council (NLC) is a land council representing the Aboriginal peoples of the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia, with its head office in Darwin. While the NLC was established in 1974, its origins began in the strugg ...

Jabiru The jabiru ( or ; ''Jabiru mycteria'') is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It sometimes wanders into the United States, usually in Texas, but has been reported as far north as Mississippi. ...

or Darwin to enter Arnhem Land. For day visitors, these permits are generally issued on the spot. However the offices are closed on weekends so visitors may need to plan ahead. Occasionally weather conditions, ceremonial events or funerals may result in permits not being issued, so visitors are advised to contact the Northern Land Council in advance. The turnoff to Cahill's Crossing is on the

Arnhem Highway The Arnhem Highway is a 227—kilometre highway in the Northern Territory of Australia. It links the mining town of Jabiru, in Kakadu National Park, to the Stuart Highway at a point 35 kilometres south of Darwin. Upgrades The Northern Aus ...

just before Jabiru. The road is tarred between the highway and Cahill's Crossing, and dirt between the crossing and just before Gunbalanya. The drive from Jabiru to the art centre takes around 60 minutes. Visitors are free to travel to the art centre via private vehicle, and there are also a range of tour companies which include Injalak Arts on their itinerary. Gunbalanya also has a sealed all-weather airstrip, Oenpelli Airport, and charter flights are available from Jabiru year-round. Gunbalanya Air Charters also provides transport between the airport and the town in both Gunbalanya and Jabiru.

References

Further viewing

*''Cracking the Colour Code: A visual exploration of how we view colours, how we make them, and the meanings they hold in our world'', dir. Hugh Piper, Electric Pictures and Gedeon Programmes, in assoc. SBS Television, Arte France et al., 2008. *''Knowledge, Painting and Country'', dir. Andrea & Peter Highlands, Creative Cowboy Films, 2011 *''Rock Art and Yingana: A walk up Injalak Hill'', dir. Andrea & Peter Highlands, Creative Cowboy Films, 2011 *''The brush sings: Injalak – an aboriginal art centre'', dir. Andrea & Peter Highlands, Creative Cowboy Films, 2011

External links

* {{official, http://www.injalak.com/ Australian art movements Australian Aboriginal art Australian artist groups and collectives Artist cooperatives Arnhem Land Cooperatives in Australia