• Anna Kanaris from Artija Fine Art: There’s an exhibition of indigenous art at DADAA from March 8. Photo by Jeremy Dixon
INDIGENOUS art covers every inch of wall space at Anna Kanaris’ 1960s home in South Fremantle.
Carved and painted Aboriginal figures gather in corners, and you’ll find beautiful and sometimes comical animals and baskets woven from grasses or palm fronds in surprising places.
The Herald negotiated some on the stairs leading to the basement to find Artitja Fine Art co-owner Arthur Clarke—Kanaris’ husband—beavering away framing canvases from remote corners of Australia in preparation for Artitja’s latest exhibition, Art Parade.
“The house is more art gallery than a home,” Kanaris laughs.
The exhibition is a celebration of Artitja’s decade in art, and its survival during dire economic times.
“It’s part education, part theatre,”
It features women artists first exhibited in 2004, and still exhibiting, to first-time works by a new generation.
“There two reasons to celebrate…having survived 10 years in an art market which met with difficult economic times and the increase to prominence of indigenous women over that time,” Kanaris says.
A third reason is International Women’s Day, and the exhibition of women artists was set with the date in mind, with the opening coinciding with the day, March 8.
“Every year I think I should do an exhibition for women’s day.”
Art will take to the catwalk for the launch of Art Parade, while adjunct professor Susan McCulloch, author of books on contemporary Aboriginal art, gives a commentary on the art of the regions, and the individual artists.
“It’s part education, part theatre,” Kanaris says.
Artitja came about serendipitously when Kanaris travelled to Alice Springs with a friend, where she met artists and fell in love with their art.
“I was interested in the culture, but I didn’t have the money to be a collector.”
Not long after, a London-based friend asked for help in purchasing art for a large corporation.
“So I did the research and she was so impressed she said she would make me her art dealer.”
Before long Kanaris and Clarke gave up their day jobs to meet growing demand as interest in Aboriginal art at home and abroad grew.
They now have around 11,000 people on their database, which isn’t an “open guest book”.
“We have spoken to the majority of them over the years,” Kanaris says.
Clarke and Kanaris travel extensively throughout remote Australia seeking art, including the Tiwi Islands, Balgo, Daly River and Utopia in the eastern central desert.
The Art Parade opening is Saturday March 8, 2pm, at DADAA’s Freight Gallery, Beach Street, Fremantle.
The “seated” showing is free but bookings are essential at info@artitija.com.au
The art will then be hung and on view until March 23.
by JENNY D’ANGER