New Artworks from Central Desert have arrived
Aboriginal Art Gallery Cotswolds, UK
Interior Design, Bay Gallery Home, Made in the UK, My Country, NEWS, WIN Award
The use of Ceramic Tiles in homes and architecture is as ancient as universal and diverse, which is why this April 2017 saw the launch of Britain's first National Tile Week– "a celebration of tiles, aiming to educate consumers on the quality and versatility of tiles and how they can be used throughout the home."
Our award-winning My Country Aboriginal Art Ceramic Wall Tiles are testament to the expertise of the British Ceramic Tile industry, as it is thanks to our collaboration with Johnson Tiles that we were able to successfully reproduce the intricate detailing and vibrant character of this Art for the very first time in design history.
We turned to Johnson Tiles after hearing about their specialist Artile service through the British Museum. Using state of the art techniques, Artile painstakingly reproduces any illustration, drawing or picture onto a tile with no loss of detail or colour.
The quality of the reproduction was especially crucial to this enterprise, given that in Australian Aboriginal Art every dot, line, abstract & figurative representation and choice of colour has special meaning and spiritual importance to the Aboriginal people. This interior collection provides a window into a world that many have still not yet had the privilege to see or encounter.
Johnson Tile were a delight to work with, taking on the challenge with dedication, enthusiasm and sensitivity for the nature of our commission — "we weren’t just recapturing an image but a culture, a history, and all of its folklore and traditions. Implementing traditional lithography techniques combined with our state of the art technology and high-res scanning process, we were able to accurately match every detail and colour of Sarah and Geraldine’s paintings."
Tiles, especially ceramic tiles have as many functional advantages as different styles. The ancient Greeks were prolific tile users, designing tile motifs inspired by abstracted natural forms, developing stylistic standards that still today serve as reference points. Tiles are foremost durable: tough, water-resistant, heat-reflective and help regulate ambient temperature. Decoratively, the breadth and width of contemporary tile designs make it one of the greatest creative assets in interiors.
National Tile Week is an initiative of the Devon-based company British Ceramic Tiles, who turned to interior designer Julia Kendell, whose passion for emotionally-connected design inspired her successful TV work on DIY SOS and 60 Minute Makeover, inspiring her nickname as 'the Nigella of DIY'. Here are some of her tips and advice on working with tiles:
Her top-tips blog is a great practical guide if you are thinking of shopping for tiles.
Our award-winning My Country Australian Aboriginal ceramic wall tile collection is available for sale through our website and is also stocked by national suppliers & showrooms such as Eporta.com, Kew Stone & Tiles Etc. and available to consult in Material Lab's showroom library.
Art, provenance, Bay Gallery Home
Our Art gallery seeks to showcase the versatility of the contemporary Australian Aboriginal artists, whose brilliant and diverse work is rooted both in the very real modern-day challenges of their culture & their rich heritage. One of these artists is Geraldine Napangardi Granites, who brings her own dynamic, modern painterly interpretation to a traditional subject matter : the Snake Vine Dreaming, or Ngalyipi Jukurrpa.
The Snake Vine Dreaming Geraldine paints is associated with a specific country in the Australian Central Desert: Yanjirlpiri, or ‘star’ (known as Mt. Nicker), lying to the west of Yuendumu. In Aboriginal culture, Dreamings have specific ‘kirda’ (owners), and in the kirda of this Dreaming are the Japaljarri/Jungarrayi men & Napaljarri/Nungarrayi women. Geraldine is one such Napaljarri/Nungarrayi artist, the daughter of the celebrated artist Alma Nungarrayi Granites and granddaughter of Paddy Japaljarri Sims (dec) and Bessie Nakamarra Sims (Dec): two of Warlukurlangu Artists Artists Aboriginal Corporation founding artists. Born & bred in Yuendumu, she lives locally with her four children and has developed her artistry by observing her grandfather’s art and that of Judy Napangardi Watson, a Warlpiri artist at the forefront of a move towards more abstract rendering of Dreaming stories.
In Snake Vine Dreaming traditional iconography, sinuous lines represent the Ngalyipi (snake vine), and straight lines represent the witi (ceremonial poles) and karlangu (digging sticks). Geraldine's painting pools from this tradition, whilst giving us a visual representation of how intricately interwoven this plant is in the daily physical & spiritual life of its people, and the profoundly interconnected relationship of the Aboriginal people to Country.
The snake vine, or Ngalyipi [Tinospora smilacina]) is found in the trees and shrubs of sandy spinifex plains and sandhills, this green creeper has many uses in daily life and is of great ceremonial importance. The vine is made up into as a shoulder strap to carry parraja (coolamons) and ngami (water carriers), or exploited for its medicinal uses: as tourniquets, and its leaves and vines are used as bandages for wounds. The Warlpiri people sometimes chew the leaves to treat severe colds, or pound the stems into poultices to cure headaches.
The importance of Yanjirlpiri cannot be overemphasized, as the sons and grandsons of Japaljarri and Jungarrayi men are brought here from as far away as Pitjantjatjara country (to the south), and from Lajamanu (to the north) to be initiated. This witi ceremony is performed at night under the stars, during which Napaljarri and Nungarrayi women will dance but then look away and block their ears when it is time for the men dance. In men’s initiations, Ngalyipi is used to tie the witi (ceremonial poles) to the shins of the dancing initiates, and to tie yukurruyukurru (dancing boards) to dancers’ bodies.
You are always welcome to pay a visit to our Art gallery in Tetbury, Gloucestershire or to browse through its digital counterpart in the ART section of this website.
We regularly post blogs on the provenance of our artwork. If you are interested in learning more about Dreamings, do have a read of our blog The Dream before the Art.
Bay Gallery Home, New Art, provenance
As we continue on our Art - sourcing trip in Australia we have had the opportunity to meet up with the artists involved in our inaugural Interiors collection and share with them the fruits of this collaboration, and its fantastic reception – namely our WIN Award.
It is one of the most rewarding aspects of this enterprise.
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.
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.
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.
wallpaper, provenance, My Country, Bay Gallery Home
Ghostgum tree in the Central Desert -a recurring pictorial motif in our My Country PINK wallpaper.
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.
“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.
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.
*quote from McCulloch's very excellent Contemporary Aboriginal Art: The Complete Guide.
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)...
"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.
‘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.
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!
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."
NEWS, provenance, My Country, New Art
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.
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.
NEWS, My Country, Musée du Quai Branly, provenance
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
** Quoted from the excellent documentary The Men of the Fifth World:
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.
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:
Aboriginal, australia, Bay Gallery Home, NEWS, provenance
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!
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.
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.