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| Barkindji Arts | |
|---|---|
| Name | Barkindji Arts |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Location | Darling River region, Australia |
| Focus | Indigenous Australian art, cultural heritage, community arts programs |
Barkindji Arts Barkindji Arts is a collective and cultural initiative associated with the Paakantyi (Barkindji) people of the Darling River region of New South Wales, Australia. The organization supports visual arts, performing arts, and cultural knowledge transmission among Indigenous communities, collaborating with institutions, galleries, and cultural agencies. Barkindji Arts engages with regional cultural policy, heritage management, and national arts networks to promote Paakantyi creative practice.
Barkindji Arts operates within the cultural landscape of the Darling River and surrounding communities such as Wilcannia, Broken Hill, Menindee, Bourke, and Cobar and intersects with national bodies like the Australia Council for the Arts, National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australian Museum, and National Indigenous Australians Agency. The collective engages with programming linked to festivals and institutions including the Sydney Festival, Tarnanthi, Melbourne Festival, Sydney Biennale, and regional events supported by Create NSW and Regional Arts Australia. Barkindji Arts maintains partnerships with universities such as the University of Sydney, University of New South Wales, Australian National University, Charles Sturt University, and research bodies like the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
The origins of Barkindji Arts draw on Paakantyi cultural continuity anchored in the Darling River (also known as the Barkindji River) and interactions with explorers and colonial institutions such as Explorer Charles Sturt, Thomas Mitchell (explorer), and later pastoral enterprises. Indigenous artistic resurgence in the 20th century involved connections with movements and centres including the Papunya Tula Artists, Hermannsburg School, Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association, and regional art centres funded by agencies like the Australia Council for the Arts and state arts agencies. Historical events affecting Barkindji communities include the impact of the Stolen Generations, policies under the Aboriginal Protection Act, land rights developments such as the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 and national legal milestones like the Mabo v Queensland (No 2) decision and the Native Title Act 1993, which influenced cultural practice and cultural heritage protection under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Barkindji visual arts encompass painting on canvas and bark, documental forms such as photography, textile work, sculpture, and installation, drawing on motifs found in Paakantyi storytelling and Country. Practitioners often reference songlines and knowledge systems linked to places like Barka (Darling River), Mungo National Park, and Kinchega National Park, creating works in dialogue with broader Indigenous artistic movements including Contemporary Indigenous Australian art, Aboriginal rock art, and cross-cultural collaborations with institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Powerhouse Museum. Media used by artists include ochres, acrylics, lino print, digital media, and fiber art, with technical exchanges involving artists associated with centres such as Artback NT, Desart, Carclew, and Remote Area Health Corps cultural initiatives.
Barkindji Arts functions as a custodian of Paakantyi cultural knowledge, supporting language revitalization efforts for Paakantyi language in concert with linguistic researchers at institutions like the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and community projects funded through programs administered by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and local councils such as Central Darling Shire Council. The collective contributes to cultural tourism strategies involving heritage sites like Mungo Cultural Centre and engages with museums including the Australian Museum and regional galleries to assert Indigenous curatorial authority. Barkindji Arts also intersects with health and wellbeing initiatives linked to organizations such as Aboriginal Medical Service networks and community education programs at institutions like TAFE NSW.
Artists and groups associated with Barkindji Arts collaborate with or have links to figures and organisations from across Australia: painters and storytellers connected to the Papunya Tula Artists, sculptors who have exhibited alongside work in the National Gallery of Victoria, curators from the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and elders who have participated in national dialogues including those convened by the National Native Title Tribunal and Reconciliation Australia. Individual practitioners have shown work in venues such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Gallery of Australia, Heide Museum of Modern Art, and at festivals like Tarnanthi and the Sydney Festival.
Barkindji Arts programs have been presented at regional and national venues including the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Artspace (Sydney), Campbelltown Arts Centre, and during events such as the Sydney Biennale, Melbourne Festival, and regional touring exhibitions coordinated with bodies like Regional Arts Australia and state galleries. Public programs include school outreach supported by the Department of Education (New South Wales), artist residencies in partnership with universities such as Charles Sturt University, and collaborative projects with the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and community broadcasters like the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia.
Contemporary concerns for Barkindji Arts include water security of the Murray–Darling Basin, cultural heritage protection under laws shaped by cases like Mabo v Queensland (No 2) and the Native Title Act 1993, and climate impacts on Country addressed alongside research at institutions including the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and Australian National University. Cultural revitalization initiatives involve language programs, digital archiving with partners such as the National Library of Australia and AIATSIS, and advocacy through networks including Reconciliation Australia and the Australia Council for the Arts to secure funding, repatriation of cultural materials via museums like the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum, and support for intergenerational knowledge transmission.