Kathy Ramsay, Bow River Bridge, 2019. Natural ochre and pigment on canvas, 80 x 100cm. Courtesy the Warmun Artists and Tim Melville gallery, Auckland.

Formally, the paintings coming out of Warmun are gorgeous. The rich dark ochres and sharp, clear outlines are luscious and satisfying and it’s obvious that Rover Thomas’s legacy is alive and well.

More than that, though, Warmun artworks underscore the resonance between Australian Aboriginal attitudes toward Country and Maori attitudes towards whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand. The fact that the artists from Warmun paint their Country with their Country is a powerful metaphor and seeing their artworks here – having travelled from the East Kimberley to the South Pacific – they feel like taonga gifted from our cousins across the water. 

Featured artsits include Gordon Barney, David Cox, Mabel Juli, Lindsay Malay, Beryline Mung, Marika Mung, Peggy Patrick, Kathy Ramsay, Marika Riley and Jane Yalunga.

Exhibition opens: 6–8pm Tuesday 20 August 2019