Mount Liebig Paintings

Mount Liebig

Mount Liebig, 325 km to the west of Alice Springs in the Central Desert, is close to the heart of the region where the modern Desert Art movement began. The community is 75 km from Papunya where the first Aboriginal art started to emerge in 1971. The community at Mt Liebig acts as a go-between community for families with connections to Haasts Bluff, Papunya and west to Kintore and Kiwirrkurra.

The Aboriginal art centre has been operating from Mt Liebig since 1990, although with limited capacity. Early Indigenous artists included Billy Stockman, Long Tom Tjapanangka and Mitjili Napurrula, and later joined by Lilly Kelly, Ngoia Pollard, Wentja Napaltjarri and Bill Whiskey. Watiyawanu artists have developed a distinctive stylistic approach in their work, often combining a detailed lacework of fine dotting along with strong iconography of Western Desert Dreaming sites.

The work of senior Aboriginal artists has been highly prized in the market and younger emerging artists are coming forward. With typical issues confronting the community, issues of youth employment and recreation, and the threat of alcohol abuse, the development of strong cultural models that reinforce the value of traditional knowledge and skills is a critical way forward.