Late October saw the arrival some groundbreaking work to the Burrinja Cultural Centre, the unique exhibition will also offer the community a free immersive art experience on 23 November and is here to stay until 1 March next year.
An Australian premiere and curated by Warlukurlangu Artists and Patrick Waterhouse, Revisions: made by the Warlpiri of Central Australia and Patrick Waterhouse gives voice to the Warlpiri people, challenging colonial narratives and amending historical omissions
Burrinja CEO and Creative Director Melanie Burge said the exhibition is an extraordinary opportunity to showcase a unique collaboration between a UK artist and the Warlpiri community, right here in Australia at Burrinja.
The official opening was held Saturday 25 October, with a Welcome to Country by Wurundjeri curator Stacie Piper alongside an opening presentation, now settled in, the exhibit will host a free community program day, coming up on Sunday 23 November.
The art-loving community will be invited to immerse itself in a gallery tour and artist talks by Patrick Waterhouse and Warlpiri artists on the day.
Former Chairman of Warlukurlangu Artists Otto Jungarrayi Sims said that when white explorers created their maps, they dissected this land with arbitrary lines and imposed state borders.
“They didn’t understand the diversity of nations and tribal people inhabiting this country. They did not know of our own stories, songlines, boundaries, and nations. Ancient tribal stories criss-cross all over this continent, tracks of totems belonging to different clans and language groups of the land they called Australia.”
Running until 1 March 2026 the exhibit was curated at the Warlukurlangu Art Centres in Yuendumu and Nyirripi, bringing together works on paper, photographs, moving image and archival material and the project began when Waterhouse travelled to Warlpiri Country with a growing archive of historical materials collected over many years, along with photographs he had made while working in Central Australia.
290 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs, Warlukurlangu is one of the oldest Aboriginal-owned art centres in Central Australia and named after a Dreaming site west of Yuendumu, it means “belonging to fire.” in the Warlpiri language.
Patrick Waterhouse is an artist from England whose work explores the shifting nature of understanding of the past, through processes that play with narrative representation, his practice illuminates how histories are constructed and retold.
Shared with artists, families and community members, Waterhouse’s documents became a ground for response and over sixty Warlpiri artists of different generations reworked the materials in their own ways, dot painting across maps, layering patterns onto photographs, inscribing symbols into flags and records and bringing community knowledge and lived experience to the surface.
The exhibit has been shown at the Whitby Museum in the UK and Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum in Germany and Burrinja is proud host the Australian premiere which will include the first Australian showing of The True Story, a two-channel video installation narrated by members of the Warlpiri community and Making Revisions, a documentary showing some of this process, will also be featured in the exhibition.
The free community day is on Sunday 23 November at Burinja, from 10.30am to 3.30pm and will begin with a Welcome to Country by Wurundjeri curator Stacie Piper and Smoking Ceremony by Wurundjeri Traditional Owners, along with gallery tour, and artist talks by Patrick Waterhouse and Warlpiri artists.
