Painting Australia

Tidal mark, Kings Canyon inside Watarrka National Park, Northern Territory, Australia. 

The Australian Aboriginal people are the one of the oldest continuous populations on earth, and their visual language is considered one of the world’s oldest Art forms, spanning over 50,000 years.  The connection to 'Country' is essential. Their tribal Dreamings, creation and mapping myths, rituals and sacred topography inspire bold, beautiful abstract paintings featuring the landscape, plants and animals of Australia's central desert. The Aboriginals see no difference between themselves, the sky, the land and the animals they share it with.  All are one and the same.

Fun times in the studio!

Bay Gallery Home believes passionately in respecting, supporting and promoting the Aboriginal communities it represents.  Despite a way of life that continues to be endangered, the Australian Aboriginal people continue to exhibit the incredible resilience and adaptation to change that has sustained them over the many millennia they have inhabited Australia.

Yet, they are at a cross road, and the contemporary Art movement now plays a significant role in giving them a voice. The majority of artists Bay Gallery Home represents are hard working, determined women providing themselves with an income to provide for their children. The money generated by the Aboriginal owned corporations creates mobility, educational and work opportunities across the community.  Our artists are remunerated for the purchase of their works, and receive a percentage of any interiors' sale.

Irrepressible creativity: very Arts & Crafts!

Colour gems waiting for the right buyer.

We have represented artists from the communities of Central Australia since 2008, and are proud to be one of the rare exclusively dedicated Australian Aboriginal Art galleries in the UK. 

Bay Gallery Home's relationship with the Central Australian Aboriginal artists is one of trust, founded on respect for their heritage and contemporary ways of life. In our dealings we have the utmost consideration for the codes of conduct and sensibilities that surround the provenance of this ancient Art & the multi-generational communities that keep the artwork alive & vibrant.

Land, Artist, Wallpaper.

Ghostgum tree in the Central Desert -a recurring pictorial motif in our My Country PINK wallpaper.

Our Australian Aboriginal wallpapers bring original Art into your interior spaces in a whole new way.

The inspiration for My Country PINK starts with the Central Desert land – its red dusty earth and sun-burnt grasses, and resplendent amongst it all the ghostly white of the Ghostgum tree with its beautiful gleaming bark & sculptural presence. Observing its solitary presence in this arid landscape, it is not hard to see why artist Ngwarraye paints it so distinctively, and why it is so engaging as a recurring pictorial motif in our My Country PINK wallpaper.

In our design process, we take every pains to produce excellent wallpapers, taking account of scale and pattern repeats and colour dynamics so that in the translation between original painting & interior design product we keep the spirit of the artwork alive and present you with exquisitely beautiful products that will bring character & joy to your interior spaces.

Alana Ngwarraye, the wonderful artist behind the original artwork for My Country PINK.

Our My Country PINK, BLUE & GREEN core range of wallpapers from original artwork by Australian Aboriginal artists.

Detail of My Country PINK, by Alana Ngwarraye for Bay Gallery Home.

The colours of Australia

Detail of local flora from a vibrant painting by Colleen Ngwarraye Morton, 'Women's Ceremony and Bush Medicine' – sold through our ART page & in our Tetbury gallery.

“I feel with my body. Feeling all these trees, all this country. When this blow you can feel it. Same for country... you feel it, you can look, but feeling... that make you.”

– Big Bill Neidjie, Gagudju Elder, Kakadu.

The origins of our art gallery, and now our art-driven interiors collection, is a long-standing personal and professional connection with Central Desert artists. Theirs is an arid land with extensive dry seasons, which is the birthplace of what is sometimes called 'Aboriginal desert painting,' at the forefront of the contemporary Aboriginal art movement.

"The chief function of colour should be to serve expression as well as possible."

Henri Matisse, from "Notes of a Painter"

Within the indigenous Australian cultures and traditions, the artist holds a sacred individual freedom to engage with their own Dreamtime and connection with country, to express a facet of life through a personal choice of brushstroke and form and colour – all the while anchored within the inherited horizon of a collective dream. The use of colours in the contemporary aboriginal art paintings reflect not only the Australian landscape but the world of their imagination, which encompasses past, present and future.

Another detail of local flora from a vibrant painting by Colleen Ngwarraye Morton, 'Women's Ceremony and Bush Medicine' – sold through our ART page & in our Tetbury gallery.

Alice Springs lies at the heart of this region, between the dramatic MacDonnell Ranges and the Todd River. It has historically been a place "crucial to the development of art and as a meeting place, place of exchange and part-time residence for people from the hundreds of Aboriginal communities throughout the central, northern, southern and western regions."* The resilient spirit of its communities, the role they play in political & cultural movements remains very much alive, notably with the iconic annual Desert Mob Art fair.

Throughout, the work of the indigenous artists we represent is a reflection of their personal engagement with a historical and deep spiritual affinity to the land, which they tell and re-tell through art to old and new audiences, layering creation myth upon botanical record, wisdom upon experience, colour upon colour.

Intrepid Alexandra on her current sourcing trip, criss-crossing the Australian Central Desert...

*quote from McCulloch's very excellent Contemporary Aboriginal Art: The Complete Guide.

The dynamic contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art scene

Bay Gallery Home's art dealer Alexandra updates us on her sourcing trip in Australia (whilst here in drizzly March England we can only dream of such sunny colours)...

Michael Nelson Jagamara: Lightning Strikes at Merricks! Michael Nelson Jagamara’s dynamic new sculpture series Lightning Strikes are fabricated in stainless steel, bronze or polyurethane with 2 pac paints in a range of colours. His work is part of the 'Weather Patterns' exhibition currently showing at Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane, until 13th April 2017.

"Yesterday I went to Fortitude Valley in Brisbane to meet gallerists Mike Mitchell of Mitchell Fine Art and Michael Eather of Fireworks Gallery, both Aboriginal Art specialists.

They’ve been in the industry for decades so it was a pleasure to meet them both and see their current exhibitions.

“Weather Patterns II", at Fireworks Gallery, features the work of Matthew Johnson, Rosella Namok and a personal favourite of mine Michael Nelson Jagamara, for whom I had the privilege of doing a sell-out show early on in my career.

Weather Patterns II, featuring the work of Matthew Johnson, Rosella Namok and Michael Nelson Jagamara (featured above), showing at Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane, until 13th April 2017.

 ‘Monochrome’, at Mitchell Fine Art  features the work of hugely talented desert artists such as Dorothy Napangardi, who recently exhibited in the 2015 'Australia' show at the Royal Academy.

Abby Loy Kemarre, Bush Leaves - part of the 'Monochrome' exhibition at Mitchell Fine Art, until 1st April 2017.

If you missed it, the substantial 'Australia' exhibition at the Royal Academy investigated the social and cultural evolution of Australia through its art, from 1800 to the present day. The past two hundred years have seen rapid and intense change, from the colonisation on an indigenous people to the pioneering nation building efforts of the 19th century and the steady urbanisation of the last 100 years.

The exhibition drew on some of Australia's most significant public collections, showcasing the breadth of the landscape and its diverse people through early and contemporary Aboriginal art as well as the work of early colonial settlers & immigrant artists, and some of today’s most established Australian artists.

Here's an more in-depth video of the exhibition, for those with a keen interest!

Christian Thompson - Hanging Australia from Studio Christian Thompson on Vimeo.

Historic Hicks&Weatherburn now stock our My Country wallpapers.

A vibrant collage of our My Country wallpapers, translations of authentic Australian Aboriginal artworks, made in the UK.

Our My Country Australian Aboriginal wallpapers from original artwork is now stocked by the historic Hicks & Weathernburn.

Established in 1741 in Yorkshire, they are the oldest paint manufacturing company in Leeds, and have expanded into interiors, expanding their expertise on colours and bespoke client service. 

Here is what they have to say:

"We are delighted to be stocking a unique range of wallpaper alongside our premium interior paints designed by Aboriginal artists in Australia’s Northern territory.

A chance meeting with Alexandra O’Brien at Bay Gallery in Tetbury during a recent trip down South led to the collaboration and we are proud to be supporting her work.

Bay Gallery has been working with artists from Aboriginal communities since 2008 and is the only dedicated Aboriginal gallery in the UK.

In collaboration with British manufacturers, some of the designs created in Australia have now been transformed into a striking and stylish collection of interiors products, including the My Country range of wallpaper.

The artists behind these designs take their inspiration from the land, family and nature. This rural theme fits perfectly with our own colour range which is inspired by the Yorkshire countryside.

We will now be selling Bay Gallery’s wallpaper range alongside our paints and would be happy to suggest the best colour combinations to use with them in your interior design scheme.

The artists are remunerated for the original purchase of artwork, and receive a percentage of interiors sales. This is an important source of income for these communities and helps towards mobility, educational and work opportunities.

The original approach came from the Aboriginal communities themselves which means our customers can be confidence that stock is ethically sourced and authentically certified."

Art Sourcing Trip to Central Australia

As Spring finds its way back to England, we at Bay Gallery Home are getting ready for a sourcing trip into Australia's remote Central Desert region.

Bay Gallery Home's origins are intimately connected with this country, initiated when one of the Northern Territory communities approached founder Alexandra to represent them in the UK. The seeds of Alexandra's relationship with these artists can be traced back to the roots of her family's own connection with Australia, when a French ancestor arrived in Australia in the 1880's. From being early collectors of Aboriginal artefacts to working on Aboriginal accounts and nursing their communities, successive generations have maintained an association with these communities. Bay Gallery Home's relationship with the Central Australian Aboriginal artists is one of trust, founded on respect for their heritage and contemporary way of life. 

A sourcing trip is an adventure in itself, full of dust and heat and a challenge to the best laid plans of mice and men – yet replete with treasure. Our month-long journey will start from Alice Springs, moving across the Northern Territory into the APY lands, visiting Uluru, Kings Canyon and our Aboriginal communities, including Papunya Tula – the birthplace of the contemporary art movement.  We will then head up through the Northern Territory, crossing into Western Australia where we will make our first stop at Halls Creek, after 19 hours driving on dirt roads. After staying here for a few days, it will be time to head out again towards Kununurra, where we’ll be sourcing some Kimberly artwork. These artists notably still work with natural ochres, and have a completely different style to that of the communities we currently represent.

Detail from a Water Dreaming by Shorty Jangala Robertson, a famed colour-field abstractionist. The original is available to buy through our ART gallery.

An important part of a sourcing trip is taking the time to meet with the artists, to understand the evolution of their art and re-establish relationships. Alexandra's young children will be travelling with her and are really looking forward to meeting and playing with the Aboriginal children.  Language is no barrier to the young, it’s bound to be a moving experience watching them contemplate each other for the first time.

We will be open for business as usual, and will be updating you all on our epopees via Instagram and this website.

Working with the Musée du Quai Branly

In an exciting collaboration with Le Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, Bay Gallery presents a limited range of Australian Aboriginal art stationary from our My Country wallpapers.

The Musée du Quai Branly houses the art and artefacts of indigenous cultures, with an Australian Aboriginal collection in its Oceana Section. It most notably holds the largest international commission of contemporary Indigenous art from Australia. In 2013, with the aim of integrating non-European art into the architectural concept of the building, architect Jean Nouvel commissioned a series of contemporary Aboriginal art installations to be painted on the ceilings, roof and façade of the building on Rue de l’Université.  Eight artists were called upon: four women (Lena Nyadbi, Judy Watson, Gulumbu Yunupingu, Ningura Napurrula) and four men (John Mawurndjul, Paddy Nyunkuny Bedford, Michael Riley, Tommy Watson), each originating from different communities and cultures, reflecting the art of the territories and urban art.

Dayiwul Lirlmim (Baramundi Scales) by Lena Nyadbi, on the roof of the Musée du Quai Branly. 

Photo: Rooftop Art Adaptation, Musée du quai Branly, 2013. © musée du quai Branly, photo: Cyril Zannettacci

It is against this historical backdrop of interest and investment in the Australian Aboriginal art movement that buyers from Arteum came across our My Country collection at LDF, commissioning us to supply their museum shop with My Country wallpaper-covered stationary.  

We now have a limited edition of My Country post books and notebooks available for sale on our Homeware & Accessories page.

And for those with a further interest in the intersection of Australian Aboriginal Art and Architecture, here is a short video documenting the Quai Branly project:

Short film following the making of Australia's greatest indigenous art commission. Interviews with architects, planners and artists. The viewer gains an insight into the complexities of such an important project .

Bay Gallery Home Aboriginal Tiles in Hospitality Design

HOTEL MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE ENDORSES OUR BEAUTIFUL AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL CERAMIC WALL TILES AS A DESIGN TREND FOR HOSPITALITY INTERIORS.

Hotel Management featured our My Country ceramic wall tiles in its review of design trends for public interior space design.

As expertly crafted translations of original Australian Aboriginal art work, our My Country ceramic wall tiles were created in collaboration with the expertise of Johnson Tiles 's Artiles service.

One of the three interiors surfaces ranges (wallpapers, rugs and ceramic wall tiles), the collection is entitled My Country, a reference to the Aboriginal philosophy and creative process, whereby all of creation is in relationship, at onewiththeland.  The original artworks'  particular provenance and symbols - inspired by mapping myths, rituals and sacred topography - results in a compelling, versatile aesthetic with a most subtle compositional depthof field, imbuing spaces with wider horizons of the imagination.

Featuring art by Aboriginal artists Geraldine Nangala Gallagher and Sarah Napurrula White, both from Yuendumu in Australia’s Northern Territory, My Country marks the first time that this aesthetic has been reproduced onto ceramic tiles. Each image and colour holds special meaning and spiritual importance to the Aboriginal people and culture.

Johnson Tiles used traditional lithography techniques combined with high-res scanning process to accurately match every detail and color of the artists’ paintings.

The beauty and quality of our tiles reflect their origins of indigenous creative process and high-quality materials and manufacturing skill.

The Dream before the Art

Jitilypuru Jukurrpa by Sylvaria Napurrurla Walker. The original painting is available for purchase on our ART page.

In her life as an artist Sylvaria Napurrurla Walker stands in a family tradition of reputed Utopian painters. The Red Mallee Dreaming she inherited from her grandmother Topsy Pwerle Jones, who along with her aunt Joycelyn Petyarre Jones influenced Sylvaria's evocative feathery compositional style.

The Jitilypuru, or Red Mallee flower is a Eucalyptus species found in arid areas of the desert, and used by the Aboriginals as a sweetener (Eucalyptus rhodantha (Rose Mallee). It is a plant with few yet long-living flowers, lasting 20-30 days and daily producing large amount of nectar. Flowering occurs between March and November, peaking in the winter months of June to August. 

The colour and scale dynamics in this painting beautifully convey the delight of this vibrant, fragrant flower in the arid Australian desert landscape, and through its image the artist expresses her and her community's connection with Country, with its bright sweet gifts.

Photo credit: www.malleenativeplants.com.au

Red Malee Dreaming by Sylvaria Napurrurla Walker, detail.

 Dreamtime is the English translation of the word Jukurrpa, with a meaning encompassing the creation myths and transmitted memories of the Australian Aboriginal people, an immemorial expressive tradition. Jukurrpa is so intrinsically connected with this 40,000 year old community's history and wisdom that the most accurate way of translating it has been to allude to our sense of the formative intangible experience, memory, the divine, the imagination, the dream that inspires creation.

"Our Art is born from the dreams of each artist and the intense colours we see in our land... Through dreams, we can enter the other – parallel – world, in which since creation, gods, spirits and men have lived together." **

Every artist has a Dreaming, which they will interpret throughout their life, enjoying their connection to their dream and the keys they hold to community life.

Red Malee Dreaming by Sylvaria Napurrurla Walker, detail.

** Quoted from the excellent documentary The Men of the Fifth World:

The aboriginal culture of Australia, includes a large number of tribes inhabiting the oceanic continent before the arrival of the white man. But all that rich culture is doomed to survive in stocks in which its people are destined to extinction.

Australian Aboriginal Art as Surfaces for the Architectural & Design industry

Our inaugural Australian Aboriginal Art Wall Tiles, from original artworks.

Design Curial singled us out of  170 national and international exhibitors at Surface Design 2017, introducing some of the most innovative surfaces for the architectural, design and construction industries.

"Bringing great design to the surface."

Here is some more press generated in the wake of exhibiting at the annual Surface Design Show in London, in this case an article by Magenta  who singled out our My Country GREEN wallpaper – a good testimony to how impactful this artwork truly is! Here is an excerpt:

Thank you Magenta!

Australian Aboriginal Women Artists

The voices of the amazing Australian Aboriginal women artists we represent, the sale of their artwork & the My Country Interiors collection means their communities earn crucial revenue streams.

This allows them to gain independence, access to health care, maintain their origins, cultural heritage and connection with the land.

Through their roles as artists they are expanding the global awareness of an ancient culture in contemporary times. The artist communities we represent are made up of men and women, who have distinct but equally valuable stories to tell and paint of their people and country & it is our privilege to share them and give them a platform. 

• #designwithorigin  #internationalwomensday  #australian#aboriginal •

Australian Aboriginal Art as Wallpaper - SDF17

The Open Plan Interior Design Studio has included our Australian Aboriginal Wallpapers as one of Surface Design 2017's top picks, inspired by the rich colours of the Australian Aboriginal Art palette and the subtlety of its layering as translated in our innovative interiors collection.

Thank you!

Merci v2com.

Bonjour la France!

Nous espérons que vous aimerez cette premiere série de surfaces d'intérieurs (papiers peints, carrelage mural et tapis) produits d'après nos oeuvres d'art aborigène d'Australie.

Our WIN Award seems to have been noticed in France...
 

WIN Award Win!

How thrilling for Bay Gallery Home's My Country collection to be recognised as Interiors Surface Design of 2016 by the World Architecture News WIN Award!

Here is our ever glamorous Alexandra picking up the award, which was presented by Piers Taylor, at a ceremony hosted at the stunningly refurbished Design Museum.  

Symbols : visual stories

Visual language is integral to the Australian Aboriginal culture. Here (as elsewhere) Art is more than the final product that moves us, art is defined by its creative process. Here, all of creation is in relationship, at one with the land, and the artists are in relationship with their community, sharing stories. 

Whether painted on musical instruments or on canvas, the artists recount mapping myths, rituals and sacred topography – they are metaphors for life's journeys, full of symbolism and references to history, botany, topography and the traditional rural Aboriginal way of life.

 My Country ceramic wall tiles, core collection (30 cm x 30 cm)

Deco Mag, Spring '17 issue

Deco Mag features bay gallery home's australian aboriginal wallpapers, tiles & rug collection as part of its Spring 2017 eco-friendly drive for stylish interiors.

Based in London, Deco Mag is for everyone who loves great design and stylish interiors but wants to do things in the most eco friendly way. We feature in their 'News' section, and with them hope that 2017 will prove a great year for ethically driven beautiful interiors.

BUILDING PIECES reviews us at Surface Design 2017

Building Pieces reviews us as one of the 'new surfaces' to pay attention to... Quite right.

'BUILDING PIECES' PRESS REVIEWS BAY GALLERY HOME'S AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL WALLPAPERS, RUGS & TILES INTERIORS COLLECTION AS SEEN AT SURFACE DESIGN 2017.

Another snapshot of our My Country collection at Surface Design - combining botanical wallpaper & geometric rugs.

You can read the full review here.

Design Insider reviews us at Surface Design

DESIGNER INSIDER ENDORSES BAY GALLERY HOME'S PIONEERING AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL INTERIORS COLLECTION OF WALLPAPERS, TILES & RUGS FROM AUTHENTIC ARTWORK.

We are very pleased to have been singled out as one of the five top innovators at Surface Design Show in Design Insider.

My Country in Interior Design Today

interior design today promotes bay gallery home's My Country interiors range of wallpapers, tiles & rugs as part of the Surface Design 2017 must-see exhibits.

The March issue of Interior Design Today photographed here against one of our beautiful bespoke rugs.