Bush Dolls from the Heart

Yarrenty-Arltere Artists in conjunction with Outstation are proud to present their inaugural exhibition Bush Dolls from the Heart featuring dyed textile bush dolls and animals, and dry point etchings.

The Yarrenty-Arltere Learning Centre was set up at the Larapinta Town Camp, Alice Springs in 2000. It is an Indigenous owned and managed organisation which was established as a community response to the social issues facing people living in the Town Camp. The learning centre is an intergenerational centre where people of all ages come together to learn new skills and work together on various projects. The art program has been at the heart of the centre’s activities. The Yarrenty-Arltere artists are becoming known for their whimsical bush dolls, soft sculptures and etchings.

Tristam Malbunka, one of the young emerging artists whose work titled ‘Des and Jimmy the Horse’ which features in the exhibition, says he draws his inspiration from the horses and cowboys of his country around Hermannsburg. He also has other textile works which feature in the exhibition, including a large three piece sculpture titled ‘Wife, Child and Husband’. Other textile sculptures that are part of the exhibition include a honey ant and a two-humped camel by Dulce Sharpe, a large rabbit by Janella Ebatarinja and a bush tucker woman by Raymond Ebatarinja.