Boomalli Aboriginal Artists' Co-operative was founded in Chippendale, Sydney in 1987. These were heady days for Aboriginal design, fashion, theatre, dance and politics in Sydney when Koori artists came out with a strong voice.
The name Boomalli was drawn from the Kamileroi, Wiradjuri and Bundjalung languages of New South Wales and means to strike, to make a mark. It reveals the spirit and politics of this group of contemporary blak artists, including H. J. Wedge, Gordon Hookey, Richard Bell, Fiona Foley, many of whom received their first encouragement through the Co-operative.
