In 1999, a young man from Bidyadanga, a coastal Aboriginal community 180km south of Broome, entered the Short St. Gallery. He shyly declared that his name is Daniel Walbidi and he would like to become an artist, after which he placed four small paintings on the desk. These works showed extraordinary potential.

Short St. Gallery presented a generation of Bidyadanga’s elders with an opportunity to work with art materials for the first time.

Using acrylics on paper and canvas, the Yulparija artists produced work of an extraordinary style, therefore marking the beginning of the Bidyadanga art movement. Their work highlights their recent history by combining their desert heritage with their saltwater experience: desert iconography is portrayed in the rich blues, greens and reds of the coastal landscape.

Designer Rugs is honoured to have been given the opportunity to interpret the work of 5 of these artists to create this vibrant collection of handknot rugs.