Wampa-waru

Next date: Saturday, 21 December 2024 | 09:00 PM to Sunday, 02 February 2025 | 04:00 PM

Wampa-waru brings together Barbara Quayle, Tannya Quayle, Jade Cicak, David Doyle, and Shaun Kemp in an exhibition that honours their family’s deep connection to land, heritage, and kinship.

Wampa-waru, the quail, is small, gentle, and fiercely protective of family, just as we are. In our family, many of us share at least one of these traits. The quail has long been native to this land, as our family has been, deeply rooted in the soil of our ancestors. Wampa-waru is the Barkindji word for quail, and it is from Granny Quayle that we are all descended. This is why we have chosen this name for our exhibition—to honor our connection to each other, our heritage, and the land that sustains us. Each of the works you see here is a reflection of who we are, of our kirra—our country—and of our identity as a people. Although many of us create in quiet solitude, working away at our art, we come together as family, bound by the strength of our kinship and shared history. Wampa-waru is not only our symbol of connection but also the thread that has drawn us together to present this collective exhibition of our family’s artistry. Through Wampa-waru, we honor our ancestors and celebrate the resilience of our family’s spirit. Thank you for joining us in this sacred moment of celebration, where we pay tribute to our roots, our land, and the ancestors whose strength continues to guide us.

Jade Cicak, an artist rooted in five generations of female artistry, grew up on the Darling-Barka River and Menindee Lakes. Learning from her mother and grandmothers, Jade’s work reflects her personal interpretation of family traditions and Aboriginal culture. She has been creating art since 2008, with her first shared exhibition at 13. Over the years, her work has been featured in galleries across Broken Hill, Sydney, White Cliffs, Maitland, Old Parliament House in Canberra, and even internationally in Germany. Her diverse art practice spans acrylic on canvas, cardboard carvings, wearable art, and editioned prints. Now, Jade creates alongside her sons, continuing the tradition of passing down artistic knowledge through generations.

David Doyle is a Barkindji/Malyangapa artist from Broken Hill, NSW, deeply connected to the Baaka (Darling River). Continuing his family’s artistic legacy, he works with traditional and modern materials, integrating river-sourced elements. As an advocate and community leader, he preserves his heritage through art, council service, and his cultural tourism business, “Wontanella.”

Tannya Quayle draws inspiration from the stories of Nana King, Nana Patsy, and Uncle Badger, incorporating them into her works. Living on the Baaka in Menindee, she remains deeply connected to her country and heritage. Tannya reflects, “I love living on the Baaka and being able to continue living on Barkindji country, my homelands.” She began her linocut practice in 2023 and recently held her first exhibition in Sydney, blending cultural narratives and ancestral stories into her art.

Barbara Quayle is a proud Barkindji/Malyangapa Nghuungku (woman), artist and jeweller from Menindee, New South Wales. Her work is created and inspired by her Barkindji Kiira (Country) along the Darling-Baaka River, offering a bridge to the deep, spiritual connection we all share with Country. Her work is a celebration of her culture & heritage, incorporating a variety of gumnuts, native plants, emu feathers, echidna quills, and other natural materials all transformed with care and respect into jewellery that carries the essence of her culture. Barbara has exhibited at the Broken Hill City Art Gallery and won the Nghuugnku Prize for Excellence at the Maari Ma Indigenous Art Awards in 2022 & 2023.

Image:(detail) David Doyle, Flourish, watercolour on cold pressed cotton paper, 2024.