Featuring renowned First Nations artists Lizzy Stageman, Davinder Hart, Cara Shields and Khatija Possum, the Indigenous Collection captures vibrancy like no other. The copyright of the original designs and stories behind each artwork remain firmly under the individual artist and each artist is paid a royalty of every sale.

Wiradjuri artist Cara Shields is inexhaustibly inspired by the rich landscape of her ancestral Country in Western New South Wales. Cara began her approach to the collection using traditional pigments, including yellow and white ochre from her own Country to recognise and strengthen the relationship between the focus of her art – land and the landscape – and Country itself.

“The works [Tappeti] picked out – Ochre Pathways and Scar Tree Country – are about the ground we walk on,” Cara says. “Rugs are also to be walked on, so this felt right to me. When people walk on the rugs, they are also walking on Country.”

Tappeti’s commitment to unique, handmade creations was another draw for Shields, who says, “Every artwork I do is the work of my hands – every brushstroke is mine. I spend hours absorbed in the painting. There are imperfections, and Tappeti left those in the designs. It might be no-one else can see them, but I can. It is evidence humans are part of the design.”

Likewise, Khatija Possum pairs with Tappeti to honour and express her great grandmother’s story and the sacred country where she grew up. ‘Grandmother’s Country’ is a powerful celebration of the warmth and meaning held by this beautiful country – and the reverence passed down through generations.

“The colours and symbols represent everything about the land where my grandmother was born and raised,” says Khatija. “Bushtucker, bush flowers, waterholes, love, marriage, dancing, singing and women’s ceremonies are all connected into the painting and more.”

Davinder Heart was similarly dedicated to exploring the way that art can weave stories and experiences into new reflections.

“Everyone has a story and it’s important we share those stories,” he says. “My old people taught me to find the similarities between those stories rather than the difference and that creates a pathway of connection and rebuilding.”

This understanding of art as a powerful conduit for emotional development is one that Heart explores in great detail throughout the artworks included in the Tappeti collaboration. The works mirror Heart’s journey growing up in Perth and the move to Uluru which reignited his relationship with Country.

“The painting, Sand Between My Toes, is my experience of going out bush. That is a place of healing and reconnecting with Mother Earth for me,” Hart explains.

Lizzy Stageman also depicts a motif of healing and regeneration, exploring the nature of rain and her fascination with its nourishing power.

Stageman explains that the Marrunga Yubaa – meaning ‘Sweet Rain’ – series included in the Tappeti Indigenous Collection is about “igniting imagination and being grateful for rain. It is about why we are here on this earth and how rain is part of how we enjoy all these things life brings us.”

“It is also about just releasing things – like clouds releasing the rain. It is part of who I am and my emotions and also about freeing myself and allowing myself to be free. I want people to imagine themselves there with that rain coming down.”

Another of Stageman’s artworks chosen for the Tappeti collection is Nganhayung, meaning ‘ourselves.’ This piece celebrates identity and culture using traditional symbols for the individual in a variety of shapes and colours to highlight the vibrancy of diversity.

Tappeti rugs are a lifetime investment – artworks to be treasured and honoured for generations. Handmade using natural fibres and traditionally-dyed non-toxic colours, the works of the Indigenous Collection are available in stock and custom sizing, with design customisation regarding shape, size and colour available in consultation with the artist.

Learn more about this fascinating collection here.

Tappeti Fine Handcrafted Rugs + Carpets

tappeti.com.au

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