Bird

Yarrenyty Arltere is located in Larapinta Valley Town Camp in Mparntwe/Alice Springs and works with predominantly Western Aranda and Luritja artists. Central to the practice of the artists working at the centre is soft sculptures, which are crafted from recycled woollen blankets, dyed in local Arrernte bush plants and rusted pieces of metal. The artists then use the dyed blankets as the base material for their innovative forms, that take the shape of figures and animals that can be encountered in the desert, but also creates and people who are drawn from their imaginations. Each artist embellishes their work with unique stitching and decoration, such as feathers, beads, or sculptural elements, giving their artworks character and imbuing them with energy and playfulness.

Louise Robertson is an artist working through Yarrenyty Arltere Artists who has attracted acclaim for her soft whimsical sculptures of human figures and animals. Robertson first came into the art centre to see the work of her mother-in-law, Dulcie Sharpe, who proceeded to show Robertson how to sew. She now excels at producing soft sculpture characters that reflect her experiences of living in Mparntwe, with her artworks taking on the personalities and likenesses of her friends and family, and the birds and animals she encounters in Country. Vibrant and comical, Robertson’s works highlight the artist’s desire to find and celebrate joy in our everyday lives.

Robertson’s Bird 2023 is drawn from group exhibition called Big Mob Thepa Thepa (Birds) that was held in August 2023 as part of the Darwin Festival. Of the works and exhibition, the artists stated:
“There is always a big mob of thepa thepa (birds) here at Yarrenyty Arltere Art Centre and at our homes. We are always feeding them, to bring them so we can look at how beautiful they are and to hear their song.

We love them with their pretty colours, same as our sewing with all the bright wool stitching and we love their sweet bird song. So, we are making this exhibition full of birds just like here in the desert in our beautiful home for you to see and understand where some of the ideas come from.”
Yarrenyty Arltere Artists 2023