Hermannsburg Potters: Thepa Ntjaarra Inthurra (Too Many Birds).

13 May - 3 June 2023

Overview

We seen in the bush all these birds we make. Every bird we seen, we make. There are thepa mapa (many birds) all around Ntaria at the moment, thepa ntjaarra inthurra (too many birds)! The same ones we always see and strange ones too. They come up and show themselves, then hide away. It's green here, the country, it's been raining and the season is changing. That's why they're all around, that thepa ntjaarra (bird mob). Some years there hasn't been a lot of birds, but they here now.

The Hermannsburg Potters are a dedicated group of Western Arrarnta artists creating vibrant handmade ceramic pots that encompass collective and individually lived histories in their distinct Country. The Hermannsburg artists continue a 30-year legacy, sculpting and painting their visual histories and contemporary settings, speaking to their cultural beliefs, traditions and values.

Each artist works with a high level of skill in both hand-building pottery and watercolour-style landscape painting. These dynamic skills allow the artworks to evolve into individual depictions of the artist’s love for the local wildlife, memories of Country, community and traditions, as well as elements of contemporary life. The vibrant and unique forms are made from terracotta clay working with the hand coil-pinch technique and finally painted with ceramic underglaze. The senior artists work with a style of painting reminiscent of Albert Namatjira, whose legacy continues to inspire the local community and its artists. This playful combination of mediums creates distinct work which had been widely exhibited and collected in Australia and overseas.

The pottery continues today with four longstanding, founding members who are currently mentoring more than 12 emerging artists to continue their work at the Art Centre. The Hermannsburg Potters support the local artists and their families, fostering the growing local economy of Hermannsburg.

Email the gallery to register your interest in the Hermannsburg Potters to receive future exhibition previews