Two of the most vibrant colourists to emerge from the Western Desert are showing at the Agathon Galleries in Sydney and Melbourne. Both women are Wanarn residents working for the Irrunytju Arts centre, and only avid travellers will have the opportunity to compare and contrast the pair – whose influences on each other are obvious and exciting.
In Sydney, Carol Manjgatja Golding shows herself to be a master artist who uses scintillating colour to create seductively vibrant paintings. Her work resonates with a cosmic potency that brings to life the captivating ancestral narrative of Kungkarankalpa (Seven Sisters Dreaming) ” a major women’s dreaming for Irrunytju and other desert communities. She paints this story with vivacity and flair, her spontaneous brushwork animating the canvas with intricate dotting and pulsating fields of organic colour that form brilliant compositions.
Carol belongs to the Ngaanyatjarra language group. She was born in 1930 at Walu rock-hole, between Warakurna and Papulankutja in the east of the Gibson Desert. Her work is held in private and public collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria, National Gallery of Australia and Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Golding’s exhibition runs from 23 Sept to 11 Oct
In Melbourne, the slightly younger Myra Cook is an exceptional colourist. Her canvases are infused with light and energised by a masterful orchestration of crystalline colours and intricate dotwork. Blues, greens, mauves, pinks and yellows evoke the vibrancy of the desert in bloom. Myra’s contemporary style is a refreshing reminder of the wealth of emerging talent from the Western Desert. Myra is a Pitjantjatjara woman, born in 1932 at Kartjinguku ” a creek near Warakurna. She grew up in the Docker River region and was educated at Warburton Mission.
Cook’s exhibition runs from 25 Sept to 15 Oct.
