Art Leven - formerly Cooee Art

That's a wrap! Thank you to everyone who joined us for another fantastic year at Sydney Contemporary.

Available works from our solo presentation by Warlpiri Master, Lily Yirdingali Jurrah Hargraves Nungarrayi, can still be viewed and purchased online.

Sydney Contemporary
Warnayaka Art - Lajamanu

First Nations Fine Art Auction
12 November 2024 | 7pm AEDT start

Gala Preview 7 Nov | 6 - 8pm
Auction Viewing 8 - 12 Nov | 10 - 6pm

[email protected] | +61 (0) 2 9300 9233
17 Thurlow St Redfern, Gadigal, NSW 2016

Make sure you stop by our booth for a tour, talk and private viewing of Lily Hargraves Nungarrayi with Gallery director

Booth I07


5 - 8 September 2024 at Carriageworks

Starting tomorrow!

BOOTH i07 - Sydney Contemporary

5 - 8 September at Carriageworks

Sydney Contemporary 2024 | Art Leven | Lily Yirdingali Jurrah Hargraves Nungarrayi - Art Almanac Senior Walpiri artist Lily Yirdingali Jurrah Hargraves Nungarrayi (1930–2018) painted in the style that embodies the work from Lajamanu, NT.

As part of the external event program for Sydney Contemporary, Art Leven announces their exhibition ‘WHO x WHO’ to run concurrently in their Redfern gallery, in collaboration with their Thurlow St neighbours, ANIBOU. designer furniture and interior designers Strutt Studios.

Join us for opening drinks, freshly shucked oysters + live music:

Friday 6 September, 4-6pm
17 Thurlow Street, Redfern, Gadigal.

WHO x WHO is a group exhibition of First Nations artists curated by Art Leven including Emily Kam Kngwarray (Kame Kngwarreye), Dorothy Napangardi, Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori, Dr Christian Thompson, Blak Douglas, Djirrirra Wunungmurra, Lydia Balbal, Sally Scales, Patju Presley and Danie Mellor.

In a convergence of art, design and living, the Art Leven gallery will be transformed into seven spaces, with each of the ten artworks paired insitu with furniture pieces by designers Paola Navone, Eileen Gray, Alvar Aalto, Marcel Breuer and Fritz Haller selected from ANIBOU. by the interior design team at Strutt Studios.

The exhibition runs from 6-28 September 2024

Art Leven - formerly Cooee Art continues their presence at Sydney Contemporary 2024 with the announcement of a solo exhibition by senior First Nations Warlpiri artist Lily Yirdingali Jurrah Hargraves Nungarrayi.

This will be the most comprehensive exhibition of Lily Yirdingali Jurrah Hargraves Nungarrayi works, an overlooked yet significant artist painting in the style that embodies the work from Lajamanu - a style, executed with bold, confident brush work.

Lily Yirdingali Jurrah Hargraves Nungarrayi belongs among the ranks of Australia's greatest First Nations artists. In addition to her immense cultural contribution, Nungarrayi was a trailblazer in the push toward an expressionist evolution within Indigenous art, alongside greats such as Emily Kam Kngwarray (Kame Kngwarreye) and Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori.

She painted with a restricted palette during the 1980s, depicting detailed ceremonial activities. As time progressed however, her work evolved into the highly colour charged and gestural style she is known and recognised for today. Her love of colour and freedom of expression resulted in a distinctive style, executed with bold, confident brushwork and a broad range of colour on minimal ground layers.

There will be up to 30 paintings shown throughout the Sydney Contemporary fair duration including significant works as such as Kurlurrngalinypa Jukurrpa (Duck Ponds Dreaming), 2014 and Karnta Jukurrpa (Women's Dreaming), 2012.

The ‘Duck Pond Dreaming’ centers on an important Dreaming site southeast of Lajamanu in Warlpiri Country. The body of water expands during the wetter months and never fully dries out. On her canvases, vibrant colours and shapes capture the seasonal transformations of the land, capturing the essence of her country.

Sydney Contemporary
5 - 8 September 2024 | Booth i07
Carriageworks

Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art) at Sydney Contemporary 2024

A recent interview with Owner & Gallery Director Mirri Leven in The Weekend Australian

Biddy Timms Napanangka 'Her Meditations' continues this week. Drop by the gallery or view last available artworks online via the bio. Exhibition runs until 24 August ✨

Thank you to everyone that came to the exhibition opening 'Her Meditations' by Biddy Timms Napanangka.

Works are still available! Head to the link in bio to view the catalogue ~

Recent interview with Gallery Director Mirri Leven, about her home and personal collection of art in The Weekend Australian

In June of 2023, we conducted a week long painting project at Warnayaka Arts In Lajamanu for country x Country, a joint exhibition between Simon Napanangka and Sydney-based painter Neil Tomkins. During this time, we slept on wire-framed trundle beds in the art centre studio, surrounded by thousands of paintings, framed, unframed, rolled, strained, stacked, or suspended from clip-on trouser-hangers on clothing racks.

It was in this chaotic and beautiful context that we fell in love with the humble minimalist paintings of Biddy Timms Napanangka. The artist herself is the perfect embodiment of the peaceful, calm works she creates. That week, the studio was abuzz with laughter, conversation, frequent family visitors - constant hustle and bustle. Every day of the workshop Biddy was first one in, approaching the art centre with her walker the exact moment the doors swung open to begin the day.

Her Meditations by Biddy Timms Napanangka
Opens 3 August | 3-5pm

For more information head to our website https://www.cooeeart.com.au/exhibition/her-meditations

Artist Profile | Biddy Timms Napanangka

Although using ochre and oils to paint peoples’ bodies for ceremony for much of her life, Napanangka only began to paint her Jukurrpa (Dreaming) onto canvas after the Warnayaka Art Centre re-opened in 2007.

In addition to painting her traditional Jukurrpa stories, Napanangka’s paintings have also explored her Christian faith.

She often paints Jukurrpa stories associated with Bush tomato, Honey Ant⁠, Wedge tail Eagle⁠ and Women⁠.
⁠
Coming up soon our next exhibition is with Biddy and we cant wait for you to experience the vibrant collection of works. Exhibition starts on the 3rd August and runs to the 31st August.

Opening tomorrow - In partnership with Manning Regional Gallery, Cooee Art Leven presents Tracing Country. From the vibrant colours of the desert to the intricate designs of the Kimberley and Arnhem Land, the exhibition offers a journey through the landscapes and narratives that have shaped First Nations art for thousands of years. Tracing Country celebrates the beauty and cultural richness of our First Nations art, while fostering greater understanding and appreciation of this enduring connection to country.

Manning Regional Gallery
18 July - 14 September 2024
Open Tuesday to Saturday - 10am to 4pm

12 Macquarie Street, Taree, NSW

Artwork Image Details:

PATRICK OLOODOODI TJUNGURRAYI

PURRITJUNU, 2007
122 x 92 cm
Synthetic Polymer Paint on Belgian Linen

‘If Everyone Had An Aboriginal Painting On The Wall, Imagine The Conversations We Could Have’: Cooee Art Leven Gallery Owner & Director On Cross-Cultural Dialogues Aboriginal fine art galleries are a way for non-Indigenous Australians to connect with Indigenous culture and heritage. Paintings, with their visual symbols and meanings, carry great cultural importance for Indigenous Australians across the country and belong to the world’s longest-continuing arti...

Celebrating NAIDOC week ~ ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud’ !⁠

LIDDY NAPANANGKA WALKER
WAKIRLPIRRI JUKURRPA (DOGWOOD TREE DREAMING), 2008
120 x 120 cm
Synthetic Polymer Paint on Belgian Linen
Image & story via Liddy &

The main motif of this painting depicts the Wakirlpirri or dogwood tree (Acacia coriacea). Wakirlpirri is a very useful tree that grows on the sides of creek beds and near Mulga trees. The seeds of this tree can be eaten raw or cooked on the fire. A deliciously sweet drink called Yinjirrpi is made from the seeds when they have been dried. The wood can be used to make weapons such as Karli (boomerangs) and dancing boards for ceremonies. It is also good wood for burning on the fire because rain cannot extinguish burning Wakirlpirri wood.

“Fire represents the enduring strength and vitality of Indigenous cultures, passed down through generations despite the challenges faced. It is a symbol of connection to the land, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” - via official website⁠

Celebrating NAIDOC week ~ NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) Week
‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud’
⁠
VENETTA NAMPIJINPA HUDSON⁠
WARLUKURLANGU JUKURRPA (FIRE COUNTRY DREAMING), 2021
183 x 91 cm
Synthetic Polymer Paint on Belgian Linen⁠
Image & Story from Venetta
⁠
This Dreaming belongs to Warlukurlangu country to the south-west of Yuendumu, for which Jampijinpa/Jangala men and Nampijinpa/Nangala women have custodial responsibility. An old man ‘lungkarda’ (centralian bluetongued lizard [Tiliqua multifasciata]), of the Jampijinpa skin group, lived on a hill with his two Jangala sons. The old man would feign blindness and send the two boys hunting in search of meat. While they were gone he would hunt and eat anything that he caught before they returned. One day the sons returned with a kangaroo that they had caught after much tracking. Unfortunately the kangaroo was sacred to the ‘lungkarda’, unbeknown to the boys. In his anger the old man decided to punish his sons and the next time they went out, he put his fire stick to the ground and sent a huge bush fire after them which chased them for many miles, at times propelling them through the air. Although the boys beat out the flames, ‘lungkarda’s’ special magic kept the fire alive and it re-appeared out of his blue-tongued lizard hole. Exhausted the boys were finally overcome by the flames. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, particular sites and other elements. Usually sites that are depicted in paintings of this Jukurrpa include Warlukurlangu (a men’s cave), Kirrkirrmanu (where the sacred kangaroo was killed), Wayililinypa (where the fire killed the two Jangala sons) and Marnimarnu (a water soakage) where the two Jangalas⁠
camped.⁠

“Fire represents the enduring strength and vitality of Indigenous cultures, passed down through generations despite the challenges faced. It is a symbol of connection to the land, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” - via official website⁠

Vale Yampinyi Napanangka Simon (1928 - 2024)

Cooee Art Leven would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and the artists and staff at Warnayaka art centre, with the passing of Yampinyi Napanangka Simon. Yampinyi Napanangka Simon was a dear friend and dedicated artist and she leaves behind an immense artistic and cultural legacy.

Yampinyi Napanangka Simon works embodied a distinctive, singular aesthetic and her vivid paintings won admirers both inside and outside her tight-knit Warlpiri community.

"I was deeply saddened by the news but am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend so much time with Yampinyi Napanagka Simon over the years. When she first began to paint in the style she became known for, the other women at the art centre in Lajamanu laughed and called them ‘rubbish paintings’. It wasn’t long until they saw galleries around the world selling out her exhibitions.

I will miss the excitement I got every time I opened a a new roll of her paintings as they arrived into the gallery covered in red dust. I will miss her wicked laugh she would share with her sister when us kardiya would do or say something silly but mostly I will miss the friend I had made all the way down the Buntine Highway back in 2012.

We were fortunate enough to visit her as recently as last May, along with Sydney artist Neil Tomkins, for a painting workshop leading to her last exhibition. I was seven months pregnant during the trip. As she painted a romper for our unborn baby she, together with her sister Annie, decided on his name ‘Jimija (after Annie’s grandfather) Tjungarrayi.

Her artworks will continue to spread joy. To those lucky enough to share a home with one, cherish this vibrant window into a beautiful soul."

ngaka rnangku nyanyi - Mirri Leven

Thank you to everyone that came to the opening night cocktail party last week, celebrating the unveiling of Konstantina's stunning collection of works 'Wumera Nangamay - A Salt Lake Series'

A special thank you to Uncle Ray Davidson for welcoming us.

The exhibition runs until the 13th of July. To check out the available artworks from this series, head over to our gallery website www.cooeeart.com

Join us for the opening night cocktail party!
Konstantina | Wumera Nangamay - A Salt Lake Series

Thursday June 13th
6-8pm
Cooee Art Leven Gallery - 17 Thurlow St, Redfern

Kate Constantine

Konstantina: Wumera Nangamay – a Salt Lake Series at Cooee Art Leven Local Gadigal artist Kate Constantine is unveiling a new exhibition of intricate paintings depicting Kati Thanda (Lake Eyre) and its significance to the Gadigal people

KONSTANTINA | Exhibition Opening Night
Next Thursday, 13th June 6-8pm KKate Constantine

It is great to meet talented customers that visit the gallery, see you next time Ivan!
Kate Constantine

KONSTANTINA | EXHIBITION OPENING NIGHT
13th June, 6-8pm @ Cooee Art Leven - 17 Thurlow St, Redfern

Cooee Art Leven is excited to announce the opening of Konstantina’s latest exhibition 'Wumera Nangamay - A Salt Lake Series'

Join us for the opening night cocktail party + the unveiling of this evocative collection of new works depicting one of the Gadigal songlines that connects the Gadi (Sydney, NSW) to Kati Thanda (Lake Eyre, SA).

Konstantina (Kate Constantine) is a neo-contemporary Indigenous artist, re-imagining the traditions of her peoples’ artistic traditions and providing a modern narrative for all people to better understand a First Nations perspective as part of the fabric of Australia.

RSVP via our website: https://www.cooeeart.com.au/exhibition/wumera-nangamay-a-salt-lake-series' or via QR code