Main Gallery: 13 June - 17 August 2008

 
Radiant on display in the Main Gallery, 2008

An exhibition of stunning canvases from central Australia, Radiant: Works from the Helen Read Collection showcases some of the most well-known painters from the Western Desert communities of Balgo, Papunya and Yuendumu, including Eubena Nampitjin, Judy Watson Napangardi and Yala Yala Gibbs Tjungurrayi.

Helen Read is one of Australia's most prominent and respected collectors of Indigenous art. Born in England, Helen studied fine art before training as a nurse, and moved to Australia in 1978. In Australia, Helen worked as a midwife and pilot for the Pintupi Homelands Health Service in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Helen then started an art touring company to introduce people with means and influence to remote Indigenous communities, and in 1994 opened Palya Art, a dealership which also provides the administrative structure for touring non-profit exhibitions from this private collection.

The Helen Read Collection is now recognised as one of the most important collections of Indigenous art in Australia. Most of the collection is now housed at the Flinders University Art Museum in South Australia, and exhibitions drawn from the collection have been shown across the country, helping to introduce new audiences to the art of Central Australia.

A Wagga Wagga Art Gallery Initiative.

Opening

When:     Friday 4 July 2008, 6:00 - 8:00pm
Where:   Main Gallery
Cost:       Free