Sunrise Journeys - Artists & Contributors

Denise Brady is an exciting young artist from Kaltukatjara (Docker River). Born in Alice Springs, Denise spent her early life in Amata Community in the APY lands in South Australia. Her father's country is further south of there, Nibabunna, near Quorn in South Australia. Denise has lived in Kaltukatjara most of her adult life, but also spends time in Mutijulu community next to Uluru. She paints an important story of country between her two homes. Denise is a central part of the community in Kaltukatjara. She has been a Director of the art centre and of NPY Women's Council. Denise only began exhibiting in 2018, and has already been a finalist in both the Hadley's Art Prize and Kalgoorlie Boulder Art Prize in 2019, and the Alice prize in 2022. She has been selected for major surveys of Indigenous women's art at the Vivienne Anderson Gallery in Melbourne, and was featured in Desert Mob 2019, 2020 and 2021. In 2021, Denise was also a finalist in the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) where her entry was acquired by MAGNT.

About Tjarlirli and Kaltukatjara Art 

Tjarlirli and Kaltukatjara Art are two community-owned Aboriginal art centres which operate as a single organisation. Their primary purpose is to preserve and pass on Aboriginal culture through creative practices, while also bringing tangible economic and social benefits to their communities. Tjarlirli Art was established in 2006 in Tjukurla, initially operated as a single art centre, supporting artists who relocated to Kaltukatjara for aged care. Following strong advocacy from the Kaltukatjara (Docker River) community, Tjarlirli Art came on board to manage a second studio - Kaltukatjara Art – in 2016. 

Today, Tjarlirli and Kaltukatjara Art now represents around 100 Ngaanyatjarra and Pitjantjatjara artists. Over the years, they’ve established a strong national presence by producing aesthetically powerful and culturally meaningful artworks, and through participating in many solo and group exhibitions, along with art awards, markets and art fairs, and special projects.

Valerie Brumby was born in Alice Springs and raised in Areyonga community, and has deep roots in Anangu culture. Her childhood memories are filled with the joy of gathering traditional foods with her family in the bush, a favourite activity she still enjoys today. Now residing in Mutitjulu Community near Uluru with her family, Valerie has become not only an accomplished artist but also a dedicated tour guide, sharing her extensive knowledge of Anangu culture with visitors to the region.
  
Valerie’s art serves as a vivid representation of her heritage, capturing the essence of her cultural traditions. Through her artwork, she shares the stories and values passed down through generations. Her role in promoting the cultural traditions of her people is indispensable, contributing significantly to the preservation of Anangu culture for future generations.
 
About Walkatjara Art 
 
Situated at Uluru in the heart of the Red Centre, Walkatjara Art is the Aboriginal owned not-for-profit art centre belonging to Mutitjulu community. The art centre hosts community artists daily, as well as important creative and cultural projects that support old and young artists, including trips on Country to collect materials and paint and record cultural stories at significant sites.

Well-known for its vibrant desert colours, Walkatjara artwork is filled with the timeless Creation stories of Uluru as well as traditional aspects of desert life, helping keep Anangu culture and knowledge strong into the future.

Selina is a Director of Maruku Arts. She was born at Kaltukatjara and is currently living at Mutitjulu. She is a celebrated artist and invested in her community as an Aboriginal Health Worker for 11 years at Kaltukatjara. Passionate about strengthening her community and culture, she has served as a Land Management Advisor with the Katiti-Petermann Indigenous Protected Area, and a board member of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Board of Management. She is a strong ambassador for the arts, bringing Anangu culture to the wider world through workshops and exhibitions. 

About Maruku Arts

Maruku Arts is a not-for-profit community organisation that also offers authentic Anangu (Aboriginal) led cultural experiences in Yulara and within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Visitors can immerse themselves in traditional language, art, stories, and insights through daily workshops or exclusive private experiences.

The Gallery is home to handcrafted punu (traditional wood art, tools and weapons) and other artistic works from over 900 artists from over twenty remote Aboriginal communities across the Central and Western Desert, including the local Mutitjulu community.

Jeremy Whiskey is a virtuoso guitarist-composer from Australia. His bold and furious track “ANGER / MIRRPANPA” is part of his debut album DREAMTIME, which interprets the dreaming, seasons, and lore through melody and lightning-fast shredding. Born and living in the Pitjanjatjarra homelands, Jeremy’s incredible talents and immaculate playing make him one of the greatest guitarists in Australia today.

Mandylights is an Australian, award-winning entertainment design firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and the United Kingdom. The company has created light-based experiences in over sixty five countries around the world, ranging from international stadium tours for some of the world’s biggest musical acts to a permanent light installations on the Auckland Harbour Bridge and light festivals in Beijing, Saudi Arabia, the USA and at home, where the team regularly illuminates the Sydney Harbour Bridge and city for Vivid Sydney. The team of designers and technicians have also created a Las Vegas residency for the Backstreet Boys and delivered international tours for Calvin Harris, RAYE and Pnau. 

Learn more about Mandylights here.