A big story from Ninuku Arts

One of the really fascinating things about the art from the APY and Western Desert is the interest many of the artists have in making collaborative paintings and prints. Basil spent a number of days negotiating with Ninuku artists Molly Miller  and Nyanyu Watson about doing a joint story on a single set of acetates, and here is an early stage in the resultant print. Both artists embraced the idea (similar to a successful collaborative print Basil had proposed to three Irrunytju artists in Wingellina 10 years ago) and discussed a story which as far as we know neither had painted before. A family sits around a fire in the foreground, in the shelter of their wiltja, while a group of jealous men at the top of the painting eye off the bowl of fat maku (witchery grubs) they have collected. Molly and Nyanyu took us outside the art centre and showed us the hills where the men lived and other geographical features in the story. The print will be editioned later in 2014, as two colours were still to be done after the BHE workshop concluded on May 16.