Lake Amadeus by Vincent Forrester Muntjantji 122x122cm

"Lake Amadeus" by Vincent Forrester Muntjantj captures the spectacular desert light over Lake Amadeus (Pitjantjatjara: Pantu), a vast salt lake in the southwest corner of the Northern Territory, Australia. Located about 50 kilometers north of Uluṟu, this impressive lake stretches 180 kilometers in length and 10 kilometers in width, making it the largest salt lake in the Northern Territory. The lake’s surface is usually a dry salt crust due to the region's aridity.

Vincent uses highly prized red ochre, collected by his aunties who are custodians of the sacred mountain Karku, along with blue acrylic paint.

According to Anangu Tjukurpa, Pantu was created by the wanampi (water snake), who formed the lake by digging out the ground with a stick and drawing concentric circles in the land. The first European to encounter Pantu/Lake Amadeus was explorer Ernest Giles in 1872.

Vincent Forrester, born in 1952, is an Aboriginal Australian activist, artist, and community leader. As a founding member of several Aboriginal organizations in central Australia, Forrester has been a prominent political activist on issues affecting Indigenous Australians. He has served as the chairman of the community council at Mutitjulu and was an advisor on Indigenous affairs to the governments of Malcolm Fraser and Bob Hawke during the 1980s. Forrester has been a vocal critic of the Intervention in the Northern Territory and advocates for better economic and educational development in affected communities.

Forrester's artwork and activism work hand in hand to preserve and highlight the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous Australians, drawing attention to both their historical significance and contemporary challenges.