As the sun sets on the driest part of the country, a new light emerges from the red sand.
Beams of every colour dance across the desert floor and into the night sky for Parrtjima Festival, an Indigenous celebration of light and culture in the heart of Australia.
Renee de Saxe took her family on the 15-hour journey from Marananga to Alice Springs in April to explore this art event, finding inspirational art, culture and storytelling being celebrated by community and visitors.
“Being completely immersed in the art … really took my breath away. It’s inspiring what is possible,” Renee says.
“There are so many exciting things that we could be doing when it comes to arts in this region.”
The mother of two moved to the Barossa from regional New South Wales in 2016 and hasn’t shied away from finding ways to help build our community’s arts presence.
Her most recent artistic triumph was winning the Barossa Regional Gallery 2021 Vintage Festival Art Prize for her cyanotype piece, ‘Transference’.
On the bus ride to Parrtjima, Renee’s phone began buzzing with congratulatory messages, completely unaware that she had been the recipient of the prize.
Eventually, confirmation of the exciting news filtered to her.
“I’m shocked,” she laughs.
“Winning something like the Vintage Festival Art Prize is significant because it reinforces that you’re heading in the right direction.”