Ilgarijiri means “things belonging to the sky” in the Wajarri language. This project was launched in 2009 to mark the International Year of Astronomy. It was a collaboration between Aboriginal artists from or residing in the Mid-West of Western Australia (Yamaji Country), via Yamaji Art, and radio astronomers from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), based in Perth, Western Australia.
The intent of their meeting was for Aboriginal Artists to work with scientists using the world’s leading astronomy equipment, bringing together the world’s oldest continuing cultural understanding of the sky, its stories and the world’s state-of-the-art astronomical technology.
A trip to Mullewa and Boolardy Station inspired a large body of work and captured the imagination of other artists in the region.
This exhibition presents two different world views of the sky, and the universe – the stars, and the space between them.
ABOUT YAMAJI ART
Yamaji Art is a 100% Aboriginal owned & operated art centre in Mid-West, Western Australia. Yamaji Art provides professional services to support and develop Aboriginal artists living in the Lower Murchison region of Yamaji Country with a focus on sustaining cultural maintenance and arts practice while creating economic benefit.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Christine Collard
Christine was born and raised in Mullewa. She loves to interpret the stories she adopted from her elders through artwork. Whilst Christine has only been painting for 16 years she has always had a passion and love for paining. Christine currently lives and works in Perth where she been engaged to use one of her works on her work uniforms.
Barbara Comeagain
Barbara is a senior woman of the Mullewa community and is a new, self-taught artist. She is a grandmother who enjoys painting at Mullewa indigenous Group in Mullewa. Barbara paints mainly about her family and historical issues connected to her family such as the Stolen Generation.
Charmaine Green
Charmaine is a self-taught visual artist and published poet who writes and paints about her country and culture. Charmaine has developed a contemporary style giving special importance to line work which she believes represents the style of work done by her ancestors in the Murchison and Midwest Region. Charmaine has a strong sense of place linking her to country and likes to reflect this in her artwork.
Barbara Merritt
Barbara was born in Carnarvon in the 1950’s, she grew up in Mullewa where her shearer Father worked at the hospital and raised a close family of ten. Barbara has fond memories of weekends hunting out bush with her family. Barbara always wanted to be an artist when she was young, but being a mother of seven, her children came first. Now that her children are grown, Barbara has fast become a very active Artist in the community. Barbara has been involved in NAIDOC celebrations at local schools and input into public art projects. With always more than one painting on the go, Barbara paints about knowledge and traditional stories passed down by her Elders. Barbara enjoys painting light hearted stories with bright colours to create an uplifting feeling in today’s depressive society. ‘I like to paint the land, where I came from is my biggest influence’.
Margaret Whitehurst
Margaret was born on Billabong Station in the Murchison and is a Wajarri woman. She is the second of seven children. Her childhood was spent swimming and fishing in the Murchison River and she went to school at Tardun Mission School. Her inspiration comes from the works of other Aboriginal artists and her Aunty Olive Boddington. She came to painting later in her life and has only been working as an artist since joining Wila Gutharra Art. Margaret is the mother of seven children herself and is an industrious and prolific artist. Her current works are reflections of Yamaji country. Margaret now lives in Geraldton Western Australia.
ABOUT THE SPACE
Applications are invited from Midwest artists who would like to exhibit in the space, visit this page to find out more.
Pictured: Barbara Merritt, 'Seven Sisters', 2019