Art from Ali Curung, Ampilatwatja, Epenarra, Tennant Creek & Utopia

Via arterial routes and highways, from the Barkly Tablelands to Sandover, art from Ali Curung, Ampilatwatja, Epenarra, Tennant Creek and Utopia is marked by striking experimentation. Independent artists from outstations and community hubs diverge from established styles of Western Desert art – syncretic expression being a hallmark.

“Cross Traffic” presents an intersection of histories – some well-known in local memory, and others recognised by a niche of Aboriginal art scholars and collectors. Exhibited alongside those from a new wave of multi-generational artists, these paintings register a freedom of expression that has become a signature of the region.

Connected by geographic association and a keen sense of place, memory and myth, their distinct sensibility also invokes the cultural traffic of people crossing between communities and the arid plains and savannas of the Central and Northern Central Deserts.

Presented by Delmar Gallery in collaboration with Arlpwe Artists, Artists of Ampilatwatja, Artists of the Barkly, Nyinkka Nyunyu Art & Culture Centre and Utopia Art Centre. Curated by Lévi McLean.