Reggie Uluru | A Film

Описание: Reggie Uluru is a revered artist, Aṉangu Elder and senior Traditional Owner from the Mutitjulu community, located at the base of Uluṟu (the iconic sandstone monolith which is sacred to the Aṉangu people) in Central Australia. On October 26, 1985, following decades of advocacy and lobbying by Reggie Uluru, his fellow Aṉangu, and organizations such as The Central Land Council, the Australian government formally returned custodianship of Uluṟu to the Aṉangu. Reggie Uluru stood at the heart of this defining moment—in what was a turning point in Australia’s history and the struggle for Indigenous land rights.

In this short film, Reggie's three great grandsons came together to learn and perform Wati Ngintaka (Perentie Lizard Man) inma. This is the first time in many years that this ancient dance has been performed on Country.

The film shares Reggie Uluru's story, his art, and the living strength of Aṉangu law and culture. It will be shown in public for the first time at The Australian Embassy in Washington, and during the New York exhibition of Reggie's paintings at D'Lan Contemporary New York.

The solo exhibition of recent paintings by the artist coincides with the 40th anniversary of the handback of Uluṟu to the Aṉangu people, and brings the work of Uluru to New York audiences for the first time.

For the Aṉangu people, Uluṟu is not only an iconic natural landmark, but the sacred heart of the country, embodying story, law, and identity. Through his paintings, Uluru shares the Tjukurpa (Ancestral Law) of his ancestors, and the story of Wati Ngintaka, the Perentie Lizard. This powerful narrative follows Wati Ngintaka’s journey, one that left behind a network of sacred sites and cultural knowledge that continue to shape life and Aṉangu law, ceremony, and identity in the desert today.

In the words of Reggie Uluru, ‘People will see what I’m trying to tell in the painting, my history, my culture. I’m sharing my culture through art.’

With an increasing focus on Indigenous art and culture worldwide, Uluru’s paintings act as a cultural bridge, bringing contemporary audiences into dialogue with one of the world’s oldest living civilizations.

Uluru’s work speaks to resilience, cultural continuity, and the shared human instinct to honor and protect the land that sustains us.

Narrated by family members, Leroy lester and reggie himself, the film presents Reggie's paintings of Wati Ngintaka Tjukurpa (Perentie Lizard Man) and his inseparable link to this creation story that shaped the desert landscape and continues to guide Aṉangu law today.

This film was made with the support of the Anangu Communities Foundation. Film by Thom Crawford.