The majestic scale of Australia’s vast desert stretches is hard to wrap your head around. Deserts account for a fifth of the country, and when you factor in spots where rainfall is so scarce they might as well be classed as desert, then you’re looking at up to 35 per cent. Staggering stuff. And if your mind has drifted to these sun-parched spots, chances are you're imagining the classic baked-red dirt of many a tourism campaign.
But that’s not the only spectrum in this story.
Willoughby gallery Incinerator Art Space will play host to Desert Colours, an exhibition presented by First Nations artist-focused Honey Ant Gallery. It runs from March 3-21, and stunning artworks from the likes of Kudditji Kngwarreye, Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri, Minnie Pwerle and Ningura Napurrula prove there’s a kaleidoscope of colour out there. While the light can be glaring and harsh and the terrain rugged and unforgiving, this exhibition highlights the radiance: the golden hours of sunrise and sunset, the green splashes of low-lying scrub, and the brilliant array of colours on show from the wonderful animals that call the desert home. So head to Incinerator and see the colours shine.
