TOWN CAMP STORIES: NEW WORK FROM MPARNTWE'S TOWN CAMPS

Short St. Gallery is proud to present Town Camp Stories featuring paintings and sculptures from artists living in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) town camps. The town camp art centres are Aboriginal-owned, not-for-profit enterprises that provide a space for artists and the community living in the town camps of Alice Springs, Central Australia to make art, attend workshops and share stories.

The town camp artists are renowned for the diversity of their art practice. Their paintings on canvas range from abstract to figurative and narrative art, communicating stories about their everyday lives and places visited, shared identities, and personal and ancestral histories. Often political and always full of spirit, these artworks reveal the intimate and sometimes confronting experiences of life in the town camps; the difficulties and social issues alongside the perseverance, creativity and joy of its residents.

Utilising traditional and highly contemporary mediums as a means of storytelling, the town camp artists are especially noted for their whimsical soft sculptures made from recycled bush-dyed blankets. Embroidered with brightly coloured wool thread and embellished with feathers, these objects convey memories and stories with character and humour, capturing the artists’ reflections of community, culture, and country through innovative new means.

It is the cultural and linguistic diversity of the artists which is their strength, with their vibrant art practice providing a unique perspective into the lives and stories of the artists residing in this rich social landscape.