JGM Gallery invites you to witness an intimate moment in Australian art history with Waltja: One Family, a collaborative exhibition featuring Lucy Napanangka Yukenbarri, Helicopter Tjungurrayi, and their three children—Christine Yukenbarri, Carmel Yukenbarri, and Imelda Gugaman Yukenbarri. Running from 11 February to 20 March, the show honors a generation-spanning artistic dialogue that intertwines individual voices with a shared Warlpiri-Kukatja-Luritja heritage anchored in the Wirrimanu/Balgo community.
The Balgo connection is a story of arrival, resilience, and innovation. Wirrimanu (Balgo) emerged as a cosmopolitan meeting place for Indigenous language groups migrating from the southern Kimberley, Great Sandy Desert, and Tanami regions. The gallery’s catalog excerpt recounts a history shaped by the Canning Stock Route, mission settlements, drought-driven movement, and the gathering of artists who called themselves Kutjungka—“at one.” From this confluence, Balgo’s visual language rose to prominence, a testament to cultural negotiation, transmission of knowledge, and bold experimentation with available materials.
The exhibition foregrounds a family lineage that is both rooted in place and expansive in scope. Images and works such as Imelda Gugaman Yukenbarri’s Winpurpurla (Bushtucker) III (2024), acrylic on linen, speak to a contemporary practice that is deeply informed by traditional stories, country, and ceremony. The artists—father, mother, and children—bring a multi-generational perspective to themes of land, memory, and belonging, offering audiences a nuanced portrait of Aboriginal art as living culture.
In conjunction with the show, JGM Gallery emphasizes its Publications program. The catalogue and accompanying issues of The JGM Review aim to contextualize the exhibition for a broad community of friends, visitors, and collectors. For those interested in owning or engaging with the publication set, inquiries can be directed to info@jgmgallery.com.
Waltja: One Family is more than a collection of paintings; it is a testament to the enduring strength of community, language, and shared creative practice. It invites viewers to encounter a living art history that continues to evolve through the hands and stories of the Yukenbarri family and their Balgo contemporaries.
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