Fine Art Gallery

Love Letters from Camel Camp and Beyond 29th September - 28th October 2009 Director of Coo-ee Gallery Adrian Newstead: "Since the late 1980's, as the Utopia women began to gain recognition as painters, I have been amazed, at times awestruck, by their endless inventiveness. In particular I refer to the painstaking intimacy and painterliness of canvases created by Alyawarr and Anmatyerr speaking women." "Their subject matter is drawn from acute observation and memory, intimate knowledge of country, personal history and ancestral journey. Seamless in their portrayal of these elements the paintings give us sensory mind maps that reveal the artist's place, their sense of self, and their worldview all within one framework." "The changing seasonal nature of the features in the Utopian landscape are also reflected in these women's art; grass seeds and bush fruits; the azure expanse of sky; the bright-orange red sand; the soft yellow-green grass; the white ghost gums; the white dotted flowers of the bush plum; the tracks in the sand of bush turkeys; the rainbow colours of spring flowers are all there. Simultaneously the canvases are also contemporary dialogues or translations of the oldest laws and culture, a modern language that crosses all boundaries - cultural, geographical, social and religious." "Significant in their work and that of others in the exhibition is the inspirational and cosmic way they use colour, space and line to celebrate the desert landscape of Utopia. Each canvas can be created from literally thousands of minute coloured dots whose impact, like softly falling rain, creates fine surface impressions. In the paintings we see this expressed in organic waves of energy, that pulsate with shimmering colour and gentle movement." "It is a pleasure and a privilege to be showcasing the work of the most extraordinary talents at Utopia today. We are highlighting the work of emerging artists.”