We are Anangu, the ‘people’ of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands), a region in the remote, north-west South Australia. 

We have come together to share our culture through our artwork. In 2016, we formed the APY Art Centre Collective (The Collective) - a group of formidable Indigenous owned Art Centre enterprises, with the intention of working with a united vision and voice on collaborative artistic projects and strong business initiatives, for the benefit of all Anangu.

 Our vision is to support every member of the community to be strong in their culture and to succeed in our world and yours. We are proud of our art and the strength of our self-governed businesses, which are vital to our region. Art Centres are the only source of non-government income available to Anangu and therefore the only pathway to economic independence and empowerment. Importantly, they are also a place where culture is celebrated and instructed on a daily basis, laying the strong foundation for artistic excellence and integrity.

There are ten Art Centres that form The Collective; Iwantja Arts, Mimili Maku Arts, Kaltjiti Arts, Tjala Arts, Tjungu Palya, Ninuku Arts, Adelaide Studio, Umoona Arts, Tjanpi Desert Weavers and Maruku Arts. As well as artists from Ernabella. The APY communities are home to more than 500 Anangu artists.

 APY art centres represent some of the most renowned and collectable Indigenous artists in Australia. Recent achievements include Vincent Namatjira (Iwantja Arts) winning the prestigious Archibald Prize at The Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2020. Zaachariaha Fielding (Adelaide Studio) was a finalist in the Ramsey Art Prize at the Art Gallery of South Australia in 2021 and Betty Muffler and Maringka Burton (Iwantja Arts) and Betty Pumani (Mimili Maku Arts) were included in The National 2021: New Australian Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The Ken Sisters Collaborative (Tjala Arts), Betty Pumani (Mimili Maku Arts) and Sylvia Ken (Tjala Arts) won the prestigious Wynne Prize in 2016, 2017 and 2019 respectively. Kayleen Whiskey (Iwantja Arts) won the Sulman Prize in 2018, and artists Wawiriya Burton, Nyunmiti Burton and Tjungkara Ken (Tjala Arts) have won the Robert’s Family Prize as part of the Wynne Prize in 2018, 2020 and 2021.