ingkwia tjaiya, lyaartinya tjaiya (old way, new way) 30 years of Hermannsburg Pottery in the Collection
(l-r) Hermannsburg Potters, Northern Territory, Australia est. 1990 / Irene Mbitjana Entata, Arrernte/Luritja people, Australia 1946–2014 / Pmere (My country) 1996 / Earthenware, hand-built terracotta clay with underglaze colours and synthetic polymer paint / 42 x 44cm (diam.) / Purchased 1996. QAG Foundation / © Irene Mbitjana Entata / Noreen Ngala Hudson, Arrernte people, Australia b.1947 / Pot: Pmere Nuka (My country) 1994 / Earthenware, hand-built terracotta clay with underglaze colours and applied decoration / pot: 16 x 20cm (diam.); lid:1.7 x 6.4cm (diam.) / Pot: Pmere Nuka (My country) 1994 / Earthenware, hand-built terracotta clay with underglaze colours / 28 x 17cm (diam.) / Purchased 1995. QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Noreen Ngala Hudson/Copyright Agency / View full image
When
31 May – 26 Oct 2025
Where
Gallery of Modern Art & Foyer
Admission
Free
About
In the sweeping planes of the central desert, 130km west of Mparntwe (Alice Springs), is Ntaria (Hermannsburg), home to a dynamic, and increasingly world–acclaimed, pottery.
Established in the 1990s the pottery, initially all women, pioneered a distinctive style of hand-coiled vessels, often adorned with figurative sculptural lids. The pots are iconically decorated with images of wild life, landscapes and historical vistas, with deep cultural resonance.
Over the last 30 years QAGOMA has collected examples of their pottery, now welcoming a suite of new works by artists previously unrepresented in the collection.
Hermannsburg Potters, Australia NT est. 1990 / Rona Rubuntja, Potter, Arrernte people, Australia b.1970 / Lupa (wattle seed) (from ‘Bush tucker’ series) 2009 / Earthenware, hand-built terracotta clay with underglaze colours and applied decoration / 13 x 9cm / Purchased 2010 with funds raised through the QAG Foundation Appeal / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Rona Rubuntja / View full image
Hermannsburg Potters, Australia NT est. 1990 / Irene Mbitjana Entata, Arrernte/Luritja people 1946-2014 / Albert Namatjira droving 2001 / Earthenware, hand-built terracotta clay with underglaze colours and applied decoration, leather / 53 x 36cm (diam.) (complete) / Purchased 2019. QAGOMA Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Irene Mbitjana Entata/Copyright Agency / View full image
Hermannsburg Potters, Australia NT est.1990 / Irene Entata, Arrernte/Luritja people, Australia 1946–2014 / Rex and Albert painting in Palm Valley 2001 / Earthenware, hand-built terracotta clay with underglaze colours and applied decoration, leather / 50 x 29cm (diam.) (complete) / Purchased 2019. QAGOMA Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Irene Mbitjana Entata/Copyright Agency / View full image
Hermannsburg Potters, Australia NT est. 1990 / Irene Entata, Arrernte/Luritja people, Australia 1946–2014 / The events leading to Albert’s death 2001 / Earthenware, hand-built terracotta clay with underglaze colours and applied decoration / 44 x 35cm (diam.) (complete) / Purchased 2019. QAGOMA Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Irene Mbitjana Entata/Copyright Agency / View full image