The view may be spectacular, but it’s the eclectic range of indigenous art works inside that is drawing visitors from all over the world into the Burrunju Aboriginal Art Gallery at Yarramundi Reach.
The gallery is the first of its kind in the region, an indigenous social enterprise that sells authentic artworks to locals, tourists, businesses and government departments, with a majority of the money going back to the artists.
Although it opened last October, the gallery held its official launch last night, in its premises at the tranquil Yarramundi Reach, a site that was once considered for the National Museum of Australia, just a stone’s throw from the National Zoo and Aquarium.
The large, light-filled rooms are full of traditional and contemporary paintings, jewellery, glass works, boomerangs and didgeridoos, by artists from across the region.
Manager Greg Joseph (Yidinji) said the gallery, established by the Burrunju Aboriginal Corporation, had begun as a way of showcasing the work of local Aboriginal artists.
But far from being an out-of-the-way curiosity for hardcore art enthusiasts, the gallery has been so successful since opening in October that it has had to extend its opening hours from three to five days a week.
