Desert Lines: Batik from Central Australia

Batik – an Indonesian technique of dyeing fabric – was introduced to Indigenous women in 1971, and went on to play a pivotal role in the development of contemporary central desert art, placing women at the forefront of the burgeoning market and paving the way for working on canvas. Many of the women who began working in batik went on to become renowned painters, including Emily Kam Kngwarray, Peggy Napurrula Poulson, Tjunkaya Tapaya, Unurupa Kulyuru and Tjunkiya Napaltjarri. This exhibition brings more than 60 batik works from the National Gallery of Victoria’s collection to illustrate the unique and distinct batik styles of Pitjantjatjara, Anmatyerr, Alyawarr, Walpiri and Pintupi artists, and to examine the legacy of the technique on future generations of Indigenous desert artists.