Tali | Sandhills: Prints from Ikuntji Artists brings together the work of artists from Ikuntji Artists, the first Aboriginal art center established for women, by women in Central Australia. Located at Ikuntji/Haasts Bluff, 230 km (143 miles) west of Mparntwe/Alice Springs, the art center has a long history of being a source of cultural strength, creativity, and connection to Ngura (Country). Since its beginnings as a women’s center in 1992, Ikuntji Artists has supported artists to share their stories, knowledge, and lived experiences through painting and printmaking, grounded in deep cultural traditions.

This exhibition reflects that history. It brings together works by eight artists, each hailing from distinct Countries, to show a shared connection through the land—especially the red sand. Tali | Sandhills refers to the landscapes of the red desert, and encompasses the land, the roads, the food, and the journeys people take across it.

Roseranna Larry is Chairperson of Ikuntji Artists and a Luritja woman from this Country. For her, the sandhills are not a landscape to be observed from a distance—they are living memory. Larry explains, “We chose the topic of the Tali because they remind us of where we come from and where we are living now. They hold our history—how the old people traveled across the land for hunting and for lookout, moving through the red sand from the west all the way to Ikuntji/Haasts Bluff. When we paint these stories, we think of the old people, the land they came from, the journeys they traveled.” These journeys have taken place over many generations, bringing people together in one place, even though they come from different Countries.

The lines in the artworks—the sandhills—become lines of connection. They link Countries, communities, and families together, showing that no matter where people come from, they are connected through the land, through the red sand, and through the shared experience of remembering, traveling, and returning to Country. These lines then signify Ikuntji/Haasts Bluff: a place where people have come together. A place where people share this history. A place where people have found common ground in sharing culture and knowledge.

Through this exhibition, Ikuntji Artists continues its long history of telling stories through art—sharing knowledge across generations and keeping strong connections to Country alive. It shows that the artists, for generations, have walked on Country and through Country by crossing and walking along the ridges of Tali, with the red sand between their toes.

—Text by Roseranna Larry and Chrischona Schmidt