ABOUT BOOMALLI
Since 1987 Boomalli has continued to promote the original objectives of the founding artist members by providing continuous support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists so that they can exhibit, define and promote Aboriginal art with Aboriginal endorsed guidance.
Our objectives are to endorse artistic self-determination and business self-management on behalf of our artist members as well as providing arts related consultancy services for the wider indigenous community. In doing so, we will foster and continue to provide a strong and distinctive cultural voice for urban aboriginal artists in Sydney, New South Wales and Australia.
Boomalli’s Gallery and workshop space is located at 55 – 59 Flood street Leichhardt. We are within the electorate Grayndler and Leichhardt City Council LGA. Boomalli has an exhibition space of approximately 200 square metres and is capable of putting on large scale survey shows as well as smaller distinct shows of local significance. Boomalli’s premises are used for artist studio space, artistic, business and education workshops, forums and community meetings, board meetings, as well as a community centre for Aboriginal people in Sydney.
Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative is one of Australia's longest running Aboriginal owned and operated art galleries. Established in Chippendale Sydney in 1987, Boomalli, a word derived from three different NSW language groups, means: “To strike; to make a mark”. The term is also used colloquially as in “he’s going to get Boomalli”. Originally started to house the one off exhibition ”Boomalli au go go“, Boomalli art gallery recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Aboriginal art is the largest art movement in the history of Australian art with artists from diverse regions and backgrounds contributing to a vibrant and internationally recognized aesthetic philosophy. Urban Indigenous art initially found it difficult to be exhibited as authentic Aboriginal art in the commercial galleries, so Boomalli was established as a Co-operative to provide a platform for all Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander artists to exhibit and promote urban Indigenous art on their own terms.
The founding members and participating artists in the “Boomalli Au go go” exhibition continued the inaugural exhibition they had begun by running an art gallery along the same principals of self determination. Boomalli was one of several Aboriginal organizations such as Bangarra dance theatre and Gadigal Koori Radio that redefined the cultural landscape of Australia and the world by incorporating Aboriginal people into pivotal decision making roles within arts, media and cultural institutions.
One of the primary aims of Boomalli has been to redress some of the social inequities experienced historically by indigenous artists and provide an authentically strong cultural voice within a contemporary Australian context. This has been achieved by making it possible for artists to take direct curatorial control of their individual exhibitions as well as devising their own marketing and sales strategies, thereby reclaiming processes which have been traditionally controlled by non-Indigenous stakeholders.
image: To commemorate Australia Day 1986 a map stamp designed by Aboriginal artist and Boomalli Founding Member, Arone Raymond Meeks was issued with the theme “An Aboriginal Perspective.”
The design represents the continent of Australia in the shape of an egg which is afforded warmth and protection between the legs of Wandjina, an aboriginal sky-being.
Our objectives are to endorse artistic self-determination and business self-management on behalf of our artist members as well as providing arts related consultancy services for the wider indigenous community. In doing so, we will foster and continue to provide a strong and distinctive cultural voice for urban aboriginal artists in Sydney, New South Wales and Australia.
Boomalli’s Gallery and workshop space is located at 55 – 59 Flood street Leichhardt. We are within the electorate Grayndler and Leichhardt City Council LGA. Boomalli has an exhibition space of approximately 200 square metres and is capable of putting on large scale survey shows as well as smaller distinct shows of local significance. Boomalli’s premises are used for artist studio space, artistic, business and education workshops, forums and community meetings, board meetings, as well as a community centre for Aboriginal people in Sydney.
Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative is one of Australia's longest running Aboriginal owned and operated art galleries. Established in Chippendale Sydney in 1987, Boomalli, a word derived from three different NSW language groups, means: “To strike; to make a mark”. The term is also used colloquially as in “he’s going to get Boomalli”. Originally started to house the one off exhibition ”Boomalli au go go“, Boomalli art gallery recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Aboriginal art is the largest art movement in the history of Australian art with artists from diverse regions and backgrounds contributing to a vibrant and internationally recognized aesthetic philosophy. Urban Indigenous art initially found it difficult to be exhibited as authentic Aboriginal art in the commercial galleries, so Boomalli was established as a Co-operative to provide a platform for all Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander artists to exhibit and promote urban Indigenous art on their own terms.
The founding members and participating artists in the “Boomalli Au go go” exhibition continued the inaugural exhibition they had begun by running an art gallery along the same principals of self determination. Boomalli was one of several Aboriginal organizations such as Bangarra dance theatre and Gadigal Koori Radio that redefined the cultural landscape of Australia and the world by incorporating Aboriginal people into pivotal decision making roles within arts, media and cultural institutions.
One of the primary aims of Boomalli has been to redress some of the social inequities experienced historically by indigenous artists and provide an authentically strong cultural voice within a contemporary Australian context. This has been achieved by making it possible for artists to take direct curatorial control of their individual exhibitions as well as devising their own marketing and sales strategies, thereby reclaiming processes which have been traditionally controlled by non-Indigenous stakeholders.
image: To commemorate Australia Day 1986 a map stamp designed by Aboriginal artist and Boomalli Founding Member, Arone Raymond Meeks was issued with the theme “An Aboriginal Perspective.”
The design represents the continent of Australia in the shape of an egg which is afforded warmth and protection between the legs of Wandjina, an aboriginal sky-being.
