Bidyadanga's 80-plus artists bring desert-and-sea work to Broome

Bidyadanga artists filled Broome's Redbill Studio Gallery for their latest twice-yearly exhibition, and opening night pulled a crowd of hundreds. Attendees sifted through paintings from more than 80 artists out of the community, which sits about 180 kilometres south of Broome and roughly 2,000 kilometres north of Perth. The gallery has hosted the Bidyadanga shows twice a year for the past four years.

Painter Jenny Butt has been at it since long before the community's award-winning arts centre opened. She said Bidyadanga's reputation keeps growing in scale and reach. Her work draws on two connections — growing up near the coast and living in the desert with family — and she called it heartening to watch younger artists join in.

Artist Marika Jadai said the pieces spotlight the mix of cultures and everything that shaped Bidyadanga. The location, wedged between West Kimberley red dirt and the Indian Ocean, gives the community's painters a rare double perspective. Buyers get to purchase directly from the artists, who keep part of the proceeds while the arts centre channels some of its share back into Bidyadanga.

Getting the work to Broome is its own job. In the days before the show, artists and staff catalogued and listed each piece before rolling and packing them for the drive, all through stifling summer heat. Augustine Bada now works at the art centre and helps coordinate the showcase, and said he was proud to see the pieces on display. He is already excited about next year, arguing the practice matters because it shares stories, passes down knowledge and paints country.

Redbill Studio Gallery co-owner Melissa Foster said the tie to the remote community came about through word of mouth, giving the artists a platform in Broome and a following that keeps asking when the next Bidgy sale lands. Shopper Daisy, who works in Bidyadanga and knows many of the artists, snapped up work with earthy colours to remember her Kimberley time by before she moves on.