Ikuntji Artists was the first art centre established for women of the Western Desert art movement.

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Ikuntji Artists
Ikuntji Artists was the first art centre established by women in the Western Desert Art Movement. Already in the 1980s women began painting in Haasts Bluff in the aged care facility. They had been instructed by their husbands and fathers, and they had often assisted them in completing their paintings. By the early 1990s these women artists decided to pursue setting up their own art centre.
Ikuntji Artists was first established in 1992, after a series of workshops, and under the influence of the then community president, the late Esther Jugadai. The art centre was initially set up to fulfil the role of women’s centre providing services such as catering for old people and children in the community. After first experiences made in printing T-shirts, the artists began producing acrylic paintings on linen and handmade paper, which quickly gained the attention of the Australian and international art world as well as earning the centre an impressive reputation for fine art. The focus changed from a women’s centre to an art centre in 2005 with the incorporation of the art centre as Ikuntji Artists Aboriginal Corporation.
Today Ikuntji Artists are represented in many national and international galleries and institutions. Their art is famous for bold colour choice, decisive brush strokes and a long legacy of internationally renowned artists.
Current Events
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Media: AAFW x Ikuntji Artistsleft
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International Art Textile Biennale 2023left
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Ikuntji Artists collaborate with ZHIVAGO for BARKAA’s custom-designed red carpet suitleft
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Three Echoes: Western Desert Art – Travelling Showleft
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New Exuberance: Contemporary Australian Textile Design – Travelling Showleft
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Online & In-Person this weekend for the #aiatsis Indigenous Art Market
Held on the lawns of the Maraga Building, 51 Lawson Cres, Acton. We have a fantastic stall full of the perfect Bush Christmas gifts for your loved ones this year!
We often talk about shopping local at Christmas time, but this year we encourage you to #shoprural and support the hundreds of rural first nations #artcentres across the country.
#art #artmarket #@aiatsis_ #iamaiatsis #firstnations #canberra
All our previous collections have been age, size and gender orientation inclusive.
We support slow fashion and encourage you to learn our stories through our fabrics and by creating something for yourself!
All our fabrics and clothing are available online and a selection will be at the @aiatsis_ markets in Canberra this weekend.
Make this year a Bush Christmas!
Support our artists and their families this Christmas and share our stories of country and culture.
@aiatsis_ market opens this Friday in Canberra and online. See link in bio for more info.
Pictured is Gina Butler and Gwenda Rose back home in Ikuntji wearing designs by Kumuntjai Napanangka Jack and Kumuntjai Nampitjinpa Dixon