26 October 2024
‘Water is precious in the desert’ exhibition in Sydney on Gadigal Lands. A wonderful opportunity to celebrate and showcase the Water Justice Project partnership between Arlpwe Art and Culture Centre, Running Water Community Press and the Arid Lands Environment Centre.
At the exhibition open there was a full house listening to Maureen Nampijinpa O’Keefe and Valerie Nakamarra Nelson sharing their water stories and why they are campaigning so strongly against Australia's largest freshwater groundwater licence at Singleton Station. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk and connect through water stories in and near Ali Curung through art and video works. This included a focus on Australia’s largest freshwater groundwater licence at Singleton Station which threatens to destroy a 50km stretch of groundwater dependent habitat, lower the groundwater table by up to 50 metres and impact up to 40 sacred sites
Sign ALEC’s petition here calling on Federal Government action to stop damaging developments extracting too much water across the Northern Territory, including at Singleton Station
WATER IS PRECIOUS IN THE DESERT
The story of Australia’s Biggest Free Water Grab
ROSIEANNE NAPANANGKA HOLMES
SARAH NABANGARDI HOLMES
JACLYN NANGALA HOLMES
NED JUNGARRAYI KELLY
OWEN JAPALJARRI MILLER
WARRICK JAPANGARDI MILLER
DOREEN NANGALA MURPHY
VALERIE NAKAMARRA NELSON
MARTHA NAKAMARRA POULSON
CYSILA NAPANANGKA ROSE
Opening Saturday 26 October, 2 pm
The Cross Art Projects
In the presence of Maureen Nampijinpa O’Keefe (Poet and convenor of Running Water Community Press), Valerie Nakamarra Nelson (Artist), Harry Price (Arlpwe Art and Culture Centre) and Alex Vaughan (Arid Lands Environment Centre)
Exhibition runs 26 October — 16 November 2024
Presented by The Cross Art Projects In proud collaboration with Arlpwe Art & Culture Centre, Arid Lands Environment Centre and Running Water Community Press (Mparntwe/Alice Springs)
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Water is Precious in the Desert is an exhibition about water in danger. Ancient aquifers—those well-known like the Great Artesian Basin and others, little-known, like the aquifers lying under arid lands in the Northern Territory—are the major sources of fresh water for the world’s driest and flattest continent. In 2021, the biggest groundwater licence in Northern Territory and possibly Australia’s history was quietly granted to Singleton Station, a pastoral lease right next to the Aboriginal Community of Ali Curung, for a “horticulture precinct”.
Works in the exhibition show country and water as an all-embracing concept. These definitive paintings by waterkeepers cry out, ‘Water is sacred. Water is life.’ Native title holders and their supporters fear the licence will lower the water table, damaging groundwater-dependent trees, springs, soaks and swamps, whilst threatening cultural sites.
The approval of the water licence has triggered a fight using legal and cultural means. The title ‘Water is Precious in the Desert’, pays homage to the ongoing campaign of the same name, initiated by poets and writers at Running Water Community Press in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, led by Maureen Nampijinpa O’Keefe.