The beautiful and unique artworks from remote Indigenous communities including Birrundudu, Papunya, Yuendumu and Balgo are celebrated in full-colour photographs in the new book Balgo: Creating Country.

The monograph, by Professor John Carty and published by UWA Publishing, has been put together in conjunction with the Warlayirti Arts Centre.

It tells the story of the Balgo art movement, one of the most vibrant, colourful and influential schools of Western Desert painting in Australia. But to tell that story, it also tells another, the story of Balgo itself- a tiny community on the fringes of the desert, created by missionaries, and now governed by Aboriginal people. 

Warlayirti artist Eva Nagomarra said in the early days they painted in their cultural ways but on the mission their work focused on landscapes and then art for the church. 

“We decided we gotta do our own painting now. About ngurra and tjukurrpa. Ngurra are the places we came from, our Country,” said Ms Nagomarra.

“We came to the mission from Kiwirrkurra, from Canning Stock Route, from Mulan lake Country. All the different families. All now to this Country we call Balgo. 

“And we have always enjoyed our culture. We never stopped. Always dancing and singing, teaching our kids and keeping our culture strong. Here in Balgo. 

“We keep our ceremonies, we visit our Country. That’s why we still live here. That’s why we paint. That story from our Tjamu and Tjatja (grandfather and grandmother). Our rockholes and waters where we used to live. We paint that. 

“Our bush tucker and lovely bush potatoes! We paint that. Balgo is Country for all of us now. We were all born here, these generations here today. We are Wirrimanu kids. We belong to Balgo. That’s what we paint. That’s why we paint. This is our story.” 

Professor Carty is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Adelaide, and Head of Humanities at the South Australian Museum and the Humanities and Social Sciences Commissioner for the Australian National Commission to UNESCO. 

He has worked extensively with Aboriginal artists and custodians throughout Australia on books, exhibitions and community development programs.  Professor Carty’s core research has involved working with Aboriginal artists to bridge the divide between anthropology and art history.

Balgo: Creating Country is available to order via UWA Publishing for $89.99.

UWAP is also seeking submissions for the Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, open to all writers who have completed a manuscript and are seeking publication. Submissions close next Tuesday 30 November. 

UWA Publishing will hold its annual Christmas Book Sale on Thursday 2 December from 10am to 3pm in the garden at Love House, 28 Broadway, Crawley.