Iltja Ntjarra / Many Hands Art Centre

Iltja Ntjarra / Many Hands Art Centre

Iltja Ntjarra / Many Hands Art Centre is proudly Aboriginal owned and directed. It is the home of the Namatjira watercolour artists. The Art Centre started operating in 2004, as a not-for-profit Art Centre to provide a place for Arrernte Artists to come together to paint, share and learn new techniques and ideas.

Iltja Ntjarra has a special focus on supporting the ‘Hermannsburg School’ style watercolour artists, who continue to paint in the tradition of their grandfather and relative, Albert Namatjira, arguably one of Australia’s most famous artists of the 20thcentury. Albert Namatjira taught his children to follow in his unique style, who have since passed this knowledge on to their children, which has resonated in a legacy of watercolour artists in the Central Desert region. By continuing his legacy, these artists sustain an important piece of living history.

Iltja Ntjarra is proud of its ethical work practices and aims to return the greatest possible percentage of sales to the artist.

Artists

Mervyn Rubuntja

Language: Arrernte, Western Aranda
Skin: Japanangka
Country: Alice Springs

Mervyn was born at the Telegraph Station in Mparntwe (Alice Springs). His mother Cynthia (Kamara) Obitja was a Western Aranda woman. His father was the late Mr Wenten Rubuntja Pengarte, a famous artist.

Mervyn’s father was an important role model for him. He was a senior lawman and a respected member of his community. He fought for Aboriginal rights and protection of the land, working alongside the Central Land Council and assisting in the Mabo agreement.

When Mervyn was 13 years old, his family moved to Ntaria (Hermannsburg), where he first saw watercolour paintings as he watched his uncles Maurice, Oscar, and Keith Namatjira painting like their father Albert. Arnulf Ebatarinja, another uncle, kindled Mervyn’s painting talent when he gave him some watercolour paperboard and taught him to paint.

Mervyn's family moved back to Mparntwe in 1975, and he began to paint with Basil Rantji, who taught him how to mix colours.

In 2006, Mervyn was invited to submit a painting for the "Mornington Peninsular Works on Paper" Exhibition. In 2018, Mervyn's artwork was featured in the Badu Gili projection onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House, showcasing his talent and heritage to a wide audience. In 2021 Mervyn won the NATSIAA Awards in Darwin (3D category) in a collaborative work with artist Hubert Pareroultja.

Reinhold Inkamala

Language: Western Arrarnta
Skin: Jangala
Country: Alice Springs

Reinhold was born in Alice Springs. His mother and father were both from Ntaria (Hermannsburg) and thus Reinhold’s fathers dreaming and his own are Mt. Hermannsburg.

As a young man Reinhold was an ace AFL football player but an accident resulted in a brain injury that stopped him from playing. Reinhold is married to Cathy (Jennifer) Wirri and has two daughters with her. Watercolour artist Kevin Wirri is his father in law.

Reinhold taught himself to paint by drawing first. He loves to paint and draw his father’s country. He paints beautiful landscapes with great technique and unusual and interesting uses of colour.

His grandparents the Pareroultja's taught Reinhold to paint when he was a school child using pencils. Artist Ivy Pareroultja is like a mother to Reinhold.

Ivy Pareroultja

Ivy Pareroultja (deceased) was born at Hermannsburg in 1952, the daughter of well-known watercolour artist Edwin Pareroultja. Her father and his two brothers Reuben and Otto were part of the original Hermannsburg Watercolour movement and were all skilled watercolour artists.

As a young woman, Ivy learnt painting in this style and developed a gift for watercolour landscapes. Ivy moved to Alice Springs in 1994 and continues to paint in the tradition of her father and uncles. Her work uses bold colours successfully creating emotive depictions of the Central Desert landscape.

Ivy’s work is extremely popular and has been acquired by institutions such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.