Rene Kulitja (born 1958), also known as Wanuny Kulitja, is an Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal art. She works with a range of media, including paint, glass and . Her most famous design is probably Yananyi Dreaming, which covers a Qantas Boeing 737.
Life
Early life
Rene was born in 1958, in Ernabella,
South Australia. Her family are Pitjantjatjara people, and her Pitjantjatjara name is Wanuny. She grew up in northern South Australia, and then moved to
Docker River following her marriage to Richard Kulitja. When Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park was handed back to traditional owners in 1985, the couple moved to
Mutitjulu to work in tourism. Rene became involved in arts and crafts at the women's centre there shortly after, and was a founding director of Walkatjara Art.
Richard became the manager of Aṉangu Tours.
As an artist
During the mid-1990s, Kulitja worked with other women artists on the interior design of the park's cultural centre. She also took a course on
Glass art techniques at the University of South Australia, along with three other women. After a successful exhibition of work made using these new skills, Kulitja and the other women received a commission from the Ayers Rock Resort at Yulara for a panel of glass decorated with traditional designs.
In 2000, Kulitja was one of over 300 Aboriginal women from Central Australia to perform at the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney.
In 2002, Kulitja worked with Balarinji Studio in Sydney to design the exterior of a Qantas Boeing 737-800 fuselage. The design she painted was of Uluṟu. It was based on traditional designs and sacred Dreaming legends.
Community work
Kulitja has held an important position within the Pitjantjatjara–Yankunytjatjara community for several years.
She has been a member of both the Muṯitjulu Community Council and the Board of Management of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. In 2006, she became the chairperson of Maṟuku Arts.
In October 2007, she was elected for a two-year term as a director on the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Women's Council.
As a community advocate, Kulitja has campaigned to address the issues of petrol sniffing in Aboriginal communities in central Australia. Her own family has been deeply affected by the problem.
Art
Kulitja works with a range of media, including paint, glass, ceramics and
tjanpi (desert grass)
through the Tjanpi Desert Weavers social enterprise at NPY Women's Council. She makes
,
Basket weaving, and glass and ceramic
. Her work has been shown in many exhibitions across Australia. It has also been exhibited in
Belgium and
Japan.
An example of her glass work is shown in the National Gallery of Australia. It is a coolamon made of glass (rather than the traditional wood),
Her works are in the collections of:
-
Walkatjara Art Archive
-
Araluen Arts Centre Collection
-
National Gallery of Australia
-
UNESCO, Brussels
-
Environment Australia Collection
-
National Museum of Australia
-
Maruku Arts Collection
Exhibitions
-
TarraWarra Biennale (with the Tjanpi Desert Weavers/Fiona Hall), 2014
-
56th Venice Biennale (with the Tjanpi Desert Weavers/Fiona Hall), 2015
-
Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters (National Museum of Australia & international tour), 2017
-
Kunturu Kulini (Artsite Galleries, Sydney), 2018
-
48th Canterbury Art Exhibition (Melbourne), 2020
-
Rising: Shadow Spirit (Flinders Street Station, Melbourne), 2023
