Elton Wirri
Skin name: Tjungurrayi
Language: Luritja/Pintupi
Date of birth: 3rd October 1990
From: Western Arentte
Current home: Alice Springs
Son of Doris Abbott and Kevin Wirri. Elton came to the art centre with his parents and showed a keen interest to paint watercolours like his father. Right from the start he showed much skill, and with some instruction from his father that was at the tender age of fifteen producing some lovely paintings. He was so keen to paint that if he has no paperboard in front of him he’ll paint on bits of paper or the table top! H,
As well as pursuing his interest in watercolours Elton is also developing his skills in acrylic painting and has produced a number of works in this medium, including portraits combined with landscape. His interests have extended to theatre and he performed in a sellout production of the show ‘Ngapartji Ngapartji’ at the Melbourne International Arts Festival in October 2005. This play has finished a sellout week in Melbourne 2006 and at the Sydney opera house Another performance is planned for July 2007. Also Adelaide Festival and In Queensland this year.
Exhibitions:
- 2004 Desert Mob, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
- 2004 Advocate Central Australian Art Award, Alice Springs
- 2005 Desert Mob, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
- 2006 Hermannsburg School of Art – Water colour exhibition, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
- 2006 Desert Mob, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
- 2006 Hermannsburg School of Art Exhibition, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
- 2007 Solo Exhibition, Birrung Gallery, Sydney
- 2007 Desert Mob, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
- 2008 The Namatjira circle-landscapes of Central Australia, Birrung Gallery, Sydney NSW
- 2008 Desert Mob, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
- 2008 Togart Contemporary Art Awards, Darwin and Alice Springs
- 2008 CCAE, A New Beginning Exhibition, Darwin NT
- 2008 ‘The Legacy of Albert Namatjira Today’ Soma Galleries, Adelaide
- 2009 Real to Surreal, Scenes from the Centre: Journey with the new Generation of Hermannsburg watercolour artists, Tandanya Adelaide, SA
- 2009 Beyond Batterby, Recent Watercolour by Central Australian Artists, Hobart Tasmania
- 2009 The Watercolourists of Central Australia, Indigenart, Melbourne Vic
- 2009 Solo Exhibition, Birrung World Vision Gallery, Sydney, NSW
- 2009 Desert Mob Exhibition, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, NT
- 2009 30 under 30 Exhibition, Indigenart, Melbourne, Vic
- 2009 Wirri Mob Watercolours – Recent paintings by Central Australian Aboriginal artists father & son Kevin & Elton Wirri
- 2010 Telstra Art Award Finalist
- 2010 Araluen Watching This Place
- 2011 Art Mob Gallery, Hobart TAS
- 2011 Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne VIC
- 2011 Chapman Gallery, Canberra
- 2012 Damian Minton Gallery, Sydney, NSW
- 2012 Regional Art Gallery, Burnie, TAS
- 2012 Art Mob, Launceston, TAS
- 2012 Art Mob, Hobart, TAS
- 2012 Frankston Arts Centre, Frankston, VIC
- 2012 Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide, SA
- 2012 Talapi Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
- 2012 Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville, NT
Publications:
- Article in the Alice Springs News; April 16th 2004
- Article in the Sydney morning herald 1/11/06
- Painting chosen for reproduction in the 2005 Jukurrpa Diary.
- Article in The Age; June 7th 2011
Collections:
- 2009 ‘Palm Valley’ Desert Mob acquired by Araluen Art Centre