Indigenous artists explore scorching heat in new exhibition

In Western Australia's Pilbara region, temperatures will soon soar past 35 degrees Celsius on most summer days.

In response, Indigenous artists at South Hedland's Spinifex Hill Studio are showing new works for the Turn Up the Heat exhibition, with artworks that represent the season change.

Of the more than 60 artworks on display, studio team leader Eldride Edwards says these are the three artworks you should see:

Flowers — Beryl Ponce

Beryl Ponce, a Kariyarra Elder in the Hedland community, fuses bright colours to represent the wildflowers that bloom in the summer heat.

"They're all native flowers out in the desert; she's crammed them all up and put them all on one canvas," Edwards says.

"It's showing the seasonal change with all the blossoms of flowers coming about during the summer and colours with the landscape."

Untitled — Maywokka (Mayiwalku) Chapman

"That's one of my favourite paintings. I just love the colours; it has a deep dark colours and just showing that really red hot desert colour," Edwards says.

"But then the black circles are the waterholes throughout the desert, so it's sort of like a map system showing where all the waterholes are in the landscape."

May's daughter Doreen — also a renowned artist, who has been deaf since birth — started painting with May in 2007.

"Her and Doreen [Chapman] always come in together, mother and daughter, and they sit side by side."

Untitled — Kelvin Allen 

Painting with a brush and sticks for the dots, Allen is known for his renditions of emus, kangaroos and goannas with similar colours.

"He paints sort of like you can see like an x-ray, so he shows internal structures as well," Edwards says.

"We thought it was a perfect one for the exhibition because the goanna has to lay in the sun and recharge his body heat before he can move on."

Turn Up the Heat runs at Spinifex Hill Studio from October 30 until December 5.