Batik by Nyukana Baker, Ernabella

This silk batik was made around 1985-1986 by Nyukana 'Daisy' Baker (b. 1943) of Ernabella Arts in South Australia. Ernabella Arts is the longest running Aboriginal arts centre in Australia, founded in 1949 to create employment opportunities for young women from the local Aboriginal community, the Pitjantjatjara people. Nyukana is one of the most established and highly regarded artists of the centre and is internationally acclaimed not only for her batiks, but also ceramics, paintings and woven rugs. The technique of batik was first introduced to the Ernabella arts community in the mid-1970s by craft advisor, Winifred Hillier, and came to replace the more laborious process of weaving. As Cochrane says, “Batik was transportable and easy to make in simple conditions; people could sit on the ground with the fabric on their knees, and the wax and dyes could be heated outside. Interest in the process quickly spread to other communities, including those of the Anmatyerre and Alyawarre language speakers at the Aboriginal-owned ‘homeland’ Utopia in 1977, where Ernabella women and other artists came to teach”. (‘Decorative Arts and Design from the Powerhouse Museum’, Powerhouse Publishing, 1991, p.172). This particular batik was first shown as part of the Commonwealth Arts Festival in Edinburgh in 1986. It epitomises Nyukana’s vibrant designs inspired by everyday life in the desert and oral stories passed down by elders, which reflect her deep connections to the ancient landscape.