Aboriginal Cultuur

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David Jungala Kriss Collection

Art from the Western Desert

I was born in the bush with tribal midwives attending at my birth, at a place called Narwietooma Central Australia.

At a very young age, I was removed from my traditional family and placed in a government institution at St. Mary's in Alice Springs. Later I was fostered out to a european family in Melbourne.

Under the Aborigines Act of 1911, the Aborigines (training of children) Act of 1923 and the State Childrens Act of 1895 which gave authorities sweeping powers to commit children to an institution or to foster care. This was the Aboriginal Assimilation Program. We refer to it as the Stolen Generations!

I come from a place, which is regarded as the Mecca of the Aboriginal art industry . Many of the artists are family to me, either in the context of immediate or extended family, through our kinship system.

The art works on view are from different tribal groups, ranging from the Warlpiri, Pintupi/ Luritja and Alyawarre language groups.

These language and tribal groups go from east to west from Utopia to Kiwirrkura in the Gibson Desert.

David Jungala.