For the sixth year running, South Fremantle’s Artitja Fine Art Gallery, will up sticks and relocate for the month of September to Gallery 152 in York, WA. Specialising in showcasing art from Aboriginal-owned remote community art centres, the SPRING SALON has been a highlight of the Artitja calendar since 2017.
SPRING SALON | YORK 2023 is a celebration of the Noongar season of Djilba and the arrival of Spring, according to Artitja Director Anna Kanaris. “The exhibition was meant to be a one-off event but the response by locals and tourists to the town was so positive, we were invited to return. York is a beautiful historic town, with a village feel and a relaxed atmosphere, so of course we said yes!”
Wilma Napangardi Poulson - Birds That Live Around Yuendumu
Janice Stanley Pantu - Salt Lake Art
Visitors can expect display of bright, bold colour, from paintings which depict flowery landscapes and stories of country. A selection of sculptures, ceramics and carvings from Arnhem Land are also included.
Since 2004, Artitja has built relationships with over twenty remote Aboriginal community art centres, which provide vital resources for the artists and their families, and can be the lifeline of their community.
So how does a gallery from South Fremantle exhibit in a gallery in York, 125kms away?
“Artitja Fine Art is a gallery itself but without a bricks and mortar building” explains Anna. “We are close to turning 20, and our survival in the arts has largely been due to our versatile mode of operation which sees us operating by appointment from our private studio all year around and holding up to five public exhibitions, including this one in York. This allows us the freedom to exhibit in different spaces and take the beauty of Australian Indigenous art to different places.
“We are not just about exhibiting the art; we have always been committed to informing and increasing awareness of the cultural richness of Australia’s First Nation’s people by enhancing people’s knowledge of the art and the stories behind it.
Our premise has always been in making cultural connections and over the past two decades we have held firmly to that as our way of operating.” Anna explains.
Janet Golder Kngwarreye - My Country
There will also be a range of approved, licenced merchandise gift lines - which provide royalties directly to the talented artists who create them.
SPRING SALON | YORK 2023 is part of the 2023 York Festival program.
Header image: Selina Teece Pwerl - Landscape