Debra Umala
Debra Umala — 'Clay Kin I', 2025
Clay Kin brings together seven dynamic artists in a landmark collaboration between the APY Art Centre Collective (APYACC) and Craft Victoria. This exhibition celebrated the expansion of APYACC artists into contemporary ceramics, offering Melbourne audiences a rare glimpse into the evolving material practices of First Nations makers.
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Debra Umala
Community: Mimili, SA. Language: Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara.
Debra Umala is a Pitjantjatjara artist from Mimili Community on the APY Lands and now lives between Mimili and Adelaide. Debra's mum is Audrey Umala and is also a painter at the Collective Art Centre Adelaide.
Debra says "I was born in Alice Springs in 1979. I paint the waterholes from Victory Hill where mum used to take us when we were little. We still take the children there. We swim in the big one - we swim, dance and drink the fresh water.
I am a mother of five and grandparent of two, and I paint this story because it is important to teach the little ones."
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APY Art Centre Collective x Craft
June 19 – July 26
Clay Kin is a testament to the strength of kinship, culture and creative innovation. It marks a significant moment in contemporary Australian ceramics, where ancestral knowledge meets new forms, and where clay becomes a vessel for both tradition and transformation.
Artists in this exhibition represent many communities and art centres which are at the heart of the APY Lands. Founded in 2017, the APY Art Centre Collective is an initiative that provides support, resources, and opportunities for First Nations artists from the APY Lands and beyond. Through exhibitions, workshops, and cultural exchanges, the collective aims to promote Indigenous voices, foster cross-cultural understanding, and generate economic opportunities for Aboriginal communities.
Tiarnie Edwards / Yatitji Heffernan / Jennifer Ingkatji / Josina Pumani / Debra Umala / LeShaye Swan / Tjimpuna Williams
Read more about the exhibition here:
Material: Clay sculptural vessel
Dimensions: 32 x 15 x 12cm
Cat. no: 244-25AS
Please note when purchasing, exhibition works are to be collected when exhibition closes.
Shipping costs may be estimates. Please feel free to contact shop@craft.org.au who will be available to provide an Art Courier quote or shipping costs for larger items.