An exhibition celebrating the voices and stories of the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir.

This vibrant showcase brings together ceramics, paintings, film, and archival objects created by six talented artists from Hermannsburg Potters and Tangentyere Artists, who are also members of the internationally acclaimed choir. The exhibition explores the choir’s remarkable journey from Lutheran mission days to global stages, blending Aboriginal languages with Western choral traditions. Curated by Judith Pungarta Inkamala, Marjorie Nungarrayi Williams, and Eloise Lindeback, it highlights cultural resilience, intergenerational knowledge, and the creative agency of Aboriginal women.

Designed for audiences across Australia, Our Choir Has Always Been Travelling offers rich opportunities for engagement through performances, talks, and workshops, ensuring First Nations voices remain at the heart of the experience.

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PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

HERMANNSBURG POTTERS

Established in the 1990s, the Hermannsburg Potters are a dedicated group of Western Aranda artists, renowned for their spherical pots embellished with landscape painting and figurative sculptures. From their studio in Ntaria (Hermannsburg), NT, the artists create work which expresses their collective and individually lived experiences in their distinct Country. The Hermannsburg Potters’ enduring success comes from their continuing inventiveness, sharing knowledge of Country in new ways.

GWEN INKAMALA

Gwen Inkamala is a leader of the Ntaria (Hermannsburg) community and long-time member of the famous Ntaria Ladies Choir and Central Australian Women’s Choir. Inkamala is an accomplished painter and ceramicist with the Hermannsburg Potters.

JUDITH PUNGARTA INKAMALA

Judith Pungarta Inkamala is the Chair and a senior member of Hermannsburg Potters, having joined the founding group of artists in the 1990s. In her renowned ceramics works, Judith depicts her lived histories and distinct Western Aranda Country. Her work is held in major collections including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Gallery of Victoria, National Gallery of Australia, and notably her large-scale pot ‘Desert Choir’ is held by Araluen Arts Centre. She has been selected as a finalist in major awards including the NATSIAAs and Wynne Prize and invited to present work internationally in Indonesia and China.

ANITA MBITJANA RATARA

Anita Mbitjana Ratara is a prolific artist, having worked with Hermannsburg Potters for close to 30 years. As a Traditional Owner for Palm Valley, Anita often depicts her Country in her work, home of the Wily Wagtail Dreaming, who turned into a stone in the desert. Her works are held in private and public collections including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Portrait Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, among others.

TANGENTYERE ARTISTS

Established in 2005, Tangentyere Artists is an Aboriginal owned, not-for-profit enterprise for Town Camp Artists in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), NT. Tangentyere is an Arrernte word meaning coming together, working together, and the member artists are from several different Countries and language groups. Through their practice, Tangentyere Artists communicate stories about their history, identity, families and lives. They aim to highlight the everyday experience of Aboriginal people in Central Australia through painting their diverse and shared memories.

MARJORIE NUNGARRAYI WILLIAMS

Marjorie Nungarrayi Williams, known by close relations as ‘Nunga’, is a senior Western Aranda Woman heavily respected in her community. Since joining Tangentyere Artists in 2017, Nunga has developed a sought-after style of figurative landscape painting, depicting memories of her early years on Country. Magabala Books authored and illustrated a children’s book with Magabala Books, was a finalist in the National Emerging Art Prize, and was invited to present for the 3rd and 4th National Indigenous Art Triennials at the National Gallery of Australia.

BETTY CONWAY

Betty Conway joined Tangentyere Artists in 2006 and has since forged a distinctive style of figurative landscape painting, using rich colours to create illustrative works telling her stories of Country. Conway’s work is held by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of South Australia, Artbank and Araluen Arts Centre as well as in many private collections.

LIZZIE TOPSY TOPORA JAKO

Lizzie Topsy Topora Jako is a senior Western Aranda woman strong in her commitment to Western Desert Women’s Law. She is renowned for figurative landscape paintings of Iwupataka (Jay Creek), Urrampinyi (Tempe Downs) and the neighbouring Ukaka Community. She has exhibited work at major public institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, and Araluen Arts Centre.

N. DONALD PEIPEI

N. Donald Peipei (1946- 2024) is a celebrated artist who worked with Tangentyere Artists for many years. Through her work she depicted the transition of the ‘old days’, in-between days’ and ‘new days’ of her Country, Kaltukatjara/ Docker River, NT. Her work is held by the Art Gallery of South Australia, Artbank and in the Slattery Collection. Notably, her 2023 paintings, both titled ‘Our Aboriginal Women’s Choir’, were selected for the Sulman and NATSIAA prizes.