In collaboration with Munupi Arts, Melville Island, Merenda Gallery presents the work of Susan Wanji Wanji, a Tiwi artist who intricately paints the signs and symbols inherited from her ancestors. Interpreting traditional Tiwi design in her own intuitive way dispersing literal depictions of weavings, food and baskets with repetitive patterning of body designs and ceremonial events.

Since 1990 Susan has been at Munupi Arts, developing her own unique style, that references both Arnhem Land and Tiwi techniques. Susan has been exhibiting since 1990 nationally and internationally. She is a finalist for the Telstra national art awards 2013 and is held in many national private and public collections.

The Intervention and the art of Margaret Boko and Sally Mulda.

In conjunction with Tangentyere Artists, Merenda Gallery presents a new body of work by Sally Mulda and Margaret Boko that articulate the world in which they live. This exhibition presents an important social commentary that is uniquely Australian, delicately tracing the raw and troubled interface of life in several Alice Springs Town Camps. Through art, these two fearless artists are finding a platform through which they can express personal experiences with cultural values, whilst also enriching their community well being and family livelihoods.

Town campers are among the most disadvantaged people in Australia, living in the most challenging physical and social conditions. As Tim Acker explains; “the market’s focus on the consumption of art and the profitability of its players has smothered serious and confronting issues of artist and community livelihoods” (2011). Despite circumstances, these works are approachable, friendly and un-judgmental, asking the viewer to gently engage with the artist’s narratives, without giving everything away at once.

Margaret Boko grew up at Jay Creek, and after marrying, lived at Inkamala Block near Jay Creek with her family before moving to Alice Springs. She speaks Arrernte, Pitjantjatjara, Luritja and English and now lives at Little Sisters Town Camp. Margaret has been a finalist in Togart and National Telstra awards. Margaret captures moments in life through her recently developed figurative style or ‘story boarding’ technique that are a documentary reflection on the things she loves and holds dear. Sally was born at Titjikala, and has lived in Alice Springs since she married some thirty years ago. Sally Mulda, aunt to Margaret Boko, lived with Margaret’s extended family for many years at Little Sisters Town Camp, but moved to Mpwetyerre Town Camp a couple of years ago. Sally used to paint about life at Little Sisters, but more recently has begun to paint about town camp life since the Intervention. Images of the police, playing cards and cooking roo tail are an important report on everyday life in the town camps.

Sally Mulda and Margaret Boko encourage audiences to understand the affection they feel for their homes and everyday life. Confronted with the reality of living in Alice Springs through the Intervention and problems many people face on a daily basis, these artists are incredibly important to our narrative as a Nation; the hidden histories of Australia are uncovered through these gentle and brave women.

Ngaanyatjarra people refer to themselves as yarnangu (people) and have powerful ancestral ties to their country. Artists from the region are some of the most respected and celebrated desert painters, sculptures and fibre artists in Australia.

In recent years artists from the region’s Art Centres, Warakurna Artists, Papulankutja Artists, Kayili Artists, Tjarliri Arts and Tjanpi Desert Weavers have started a new and innovative painting movement using figurative elements to explore and communicate a range of contemporary and historical stories. The artists refer to this movement as history or early day paintings.

Recently a body of 45 paintings created by Warakurna Artists was acquired by the National Museum of Australia and are currently on display in a special exhibition called Warakurna – All the stories got into our minds and eyes.

These paintings combine familiar Western Desert symbols and dots with a new, more figurative style, to recreate scenes of everyday life and to tell historical and contemporary stories. Senior Curator Peter Thorley, National Museum of Australia

The use of the figure and/or figurative elements adopted by the artist’s has been a striking development in Western Desert art making and it is this theme that is explored in the Wild West exhibition at Merenda Gallery.

The paintings on display celebrate this new ‘style’. Themes explored by the artists include tjukurrpa (dreamtime), historical and contemporary stories. Expect to see works that cover a range of topics such as early days before colonial contact, early explorers, mission times, the formation of communities, mining and darker stories about massacres. These paintings are filled with subtle humour, huge personality and sometimes challenging content.