SHARING THE NATIONAL COLLECTION: BATIK TEXTILES BOUND FOR FABRIK ARTS + HERITAGE

Two unique textiles will be loaned to FABRIK Arts + Heritage in South Australia thanks to the Albanese Labor Government’s Sharing the National Collection program.

FABRIK is one of Australia’s leading textiles galleries whose mission is to use the arts to engage, inspire and connect communities in the Adelaide hills region and beyond.

The batik pieces were created by First Nations artist Angkuna Kulyuru and by an unknown Javanese maker.

The batik style was introduced to First Nations women in the Northern Territory and Ernabella in South Australia in the 1970s after a group of artists travelled to Indonesia. Since then, the Ernabella region has become renowned for the intricate batik silks created there.

The loaned works from the National Gallery of Australia explore the legacy of creating batik within First Nations communities and the story of trade and manufacturing with our Southeast Asian neighbours.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the loan showed the diversity of the program’s loans.

“At any point 98 per cent of our national collection is held in storage.”

“The national collection belongs to the entire nation, not just to Canberra and this program allows for these normally unseen textiles to be displayed in a gallery that has a unique focus on the medium.”

Senator for South Australia, Charlotte Walker said she was thrilled to see the textiles on display in her home state.

“Having grown up in regional South Australia, I can’t overstate how important it is that works like this are displayed in our regions because the National Collection belongs to all of us.

“I’m particularly thrilled that this beautiful piece from Ernabella is coming back to be shared with South Australians.”

Director of the National Gallery, Dr Nick Mitzevich, said the program was continuing to be a collaborative success with regional galleries.

“The Sharing the National Collection program allows the National Gallery to partner with regional galleries to tell Australia’s history and cultural stories through art, within both a local and global context.

“Through this partnership with FABRIK Arts + Heritage, we share two textiles with the community in Tarndanya/Adelaide that speak to the batik tradition in First Nations communities and demonstrate cross-cultural trade and manufacturing with our Javanese neighbours.”

Adelaide Hills Council Mayor, Nathan Daniel, said it was an honour to exhibit the works.

“We are thrilled to host these two works at FABRIK and thank the National Gallery for their generous support.

“As the centre for textiles in South Australia, FABRIK celebrates the significant culture of First Nations artists, represented here by the work of Pitjantjatjara artist Angkuna Kulyuru.

“The second work represents the rich culture of batik production in Indonesia and demonstrates FABRIK’s acknowledgement of global textile traditions.  It also provides a starting point for future exhibitions and collaborations.”

Sharing the National Collection is part of Revive, Australia’s national cultural policy.

The program has provided $11.8 million over four years to fund the costs of transporting, installing and insuring works in the national art collection so that they can be seen right across the country. 

Regional and suburban galleries can register their interest in the loan program here.