Installation view of <em>Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala</em> on display until 25 April 2022 at NGV International, Melbourne. Photo: Tom Ross
Letters from the Director

Daring artists

For thousands of years, Yolŋu people from North-East Arnhem Land have used visual and artistic languages to share stories about culture. Today at Yirrkala, a group of women artists have broken new ground in not only Yolŋu art, but in Australia’s contemporary art space.

Bark Ladies: Eleven artists from Yirrkala is a celebration of artworks by eleven women, who each in her own way, has transformed the practice of painting on bark. The exhibition is supported by a free children’s exhibition, The Gecko and the Mermaid: Djerrkŋu Yunupiŋu and Her Sister. The NGV holds one of the largest collections of art from this region, and we are proud to share over seventy works including single-sheet bark paintings, sculptural larrakitj and installations. Here are just a few that you can look forward to seeing.

NGV’s Federation Court has become a sky of sorts, housing Riŋgitjmi gapu a wall-to-wall floor-based installation by Naminapu Maymuru-White, a Manggalili clanswoman of the Yirritja moiety. The artwork’s name translates to mean ‘River of Heaven and Earth’ and reflects Maymuru-White’s understanding of the relationship between land, sky, life and death. Depicted here is a spiritual river of stars. We see how the Milŋiyawuy River and the night sky’s Milky Way are entwined within one another. While Riŋgitjmi gapu appears on a large scale, the detail is intricate. Maymuru-White paints with black and white ochre using a marwat (human hair paintbrush) and a skewer stick to render impressive detail. The immersive work is complete with a mirror suspended from the ceiling, transporting visitors inside an infinite graphic galaxy.

NGV’s Federation Court has become a sky of sorts, housing Riŋgitjmi gapu a wall-to-wall floor-based installation by Naminapu Maymuru-White, a Manggalili clanswoman of the Yirritja moiety. The artwork’s name translates to mean ‘River of Heaven and Earth’ and reflects Maymuru-White’s understanding of the relationship between land, sky, life and death. Depicted here is a spiritual river of stars. We see how the Milŋiyawuy River and the night sky’s Milky Way are entwined within one another. While Riŋgitjmi gapu appears on a large scale, the detail is intricate. Maymuru-White paints with black and white ochre using a marwat (human hair paintbrush) and a skewer stick to render impressive detail. The immersive work is complete with a mirror suspended from the ceiling, transporting visitors inside an infinite graphic galaxy.

Dhuwarrwarr Marika is regarded as the first Yolŋu woman to paint on bark in her own right. She is a Rirratjiŋu Elder and the daughter of ceremonial leader, political activist and artist Mawalan Marika, who taught her to paint. Birth of a Nation comprises six paintings and five ḻarrakitj to form a striking, multilayered work that represents, like many of her works, an important Rirratjiŋu story. Captured here are elements of Yalaŋbara, a coastal place of great significance to Dhuwa moiety people. It is understood to be the landing site of the Djaŋ’kawu Sisters, major creator beings who arrived there from their mythical island Burralku. Marika uses red, black and white ochres to symbolise the saltwater drying off the Djaŋ’kawu Sisters’ skin, and the sand sliding down the dunes they climb.

Dhuwarrwarr Marika is regarded as the first Yolŋu woman to paint on bark in her own right. She is a Rirratjiŋu Elder and the daughter of ceremonial leader, political activist and artist Mawalan Marika, who taught her to paint. Birth of a Nation comprises six paintings and five ḻarrakitj to form a striking, multilayered work that represents, like many of her works, an important Rirratjiŋu story. Captured here are elements of Yalaŋbara, a coastal place of great significance to Dhuwa moiety people. It is understood to be the landing site of the Djaŋ’kawu Sisters, major creator beings who arrived there from their mythical island Burralku. Marika uses red, black and white ochres to symbolise the saltwater drying off the Djaŋ’kawu Sisters’ skin, and the sand sliding down the dunes they climb.

The earliest work in the show, Bäru story is a single-sheet bark painting by Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu. Gaymala learnt Gumatj designs and stories from her father Muŋgurrawuy, and in the 1980s began to paint on both bark as well as composition board. This artwork features two Bäru (crocodiles). Bäru are beings of great importance, considered both an animal and a totem, and are central to many powerful Ancestral stories for the Gumatj people. It is believed that gurtha (fire) was first brought to the Gumatj people by the Ancestral crocodile, and when it spread across ceremonial grounds, it turned animals into sacred totems. Bäru are therefore recognised as the carrier of gurtha, and the diamond shapes in the background of this work are typical Gumatj depictions of flame.

The earliest work in the show, Bäru story is a single-sheet bark painting by Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu. Gaymala learnt Gumatj designs and stories from her father Muŋgurrawuy, and in the 1980s began to paint on both bark as well as composition board. This artwork features two Bäru (crocodiles). Bäru are beings of great importance, considered both an animal and a totem, and are central to many powerful Ancestral stories for the Gumatj people. It is believed that gurtha (fire) was first brought to the Gumatj people by the Ancestral crocodile, and when it spread across ceremonial grounds, it turned animals into sacred totems. Bäru are therefore recognised as the carrier of gurtha, and the diamond shapes in the background of this work are typical Gumatj depictions of flame.

Throughout her life, senior artist Ms Wirrpanda’s artistic focus was founded in her knowledge of edible plants and natural species found throughout Arnhem Land. Ŋäḏi ga Guṉdirr illustrates gundirr (magnetic termite mounds) that are home to munyukuluŋu (magnetic termites) and ŋadi (meat ants). The composition is paired back, allowing the focus to draw to the termite mound, nestled within negative space. This work is hung as a set of four, each portraying the same subject matter. These are among her last bark paintings created before her recent passing, poignantly depicting ŋadi which are a talisman of the artist’s sacred identity and are associated with mourning ceremonies for the deceased. We offer our condolences to the community at Yirrkala who continue to mourn their loss.

Throughout her life, senior artist Ms Wirrpanda’s artistic focus was founded in her knowledge of edible plants and natural species found throughout Arnhem Land. Ŋäḏi ga Guṉdirr illustrates gundirr (magnetic termite mounds) that are home to munyukuluŋu (magnetic termites) and ŋadi (meat ants). The composition is paired back, allowing the focus to draw to the termite mound, nestled within negative space. This work is hung as a set of four, each portraying the same subject matter. These are among her last bark paintings created before her recent passing, poignantly depicting ŋadi which are a talisman of the artist’s sacred identity and are associated with mourning ceremonies for the deceased. We offer our condolences to the community at Yirrkala who continue to mourn their loss.

Traditionally, it has been a Yolŋu convention to paint only with materials collected from Country. In 2017, this idea was challenged by Noŋgirrŋa Marawili who became the first artist to work with recycled printer cartridges. This opened a plethora of opportunities, from new colours to the ability to paint on a larger scale. Baratjala makes use of bold and brilliant cartridge pink, magenta and fuchsia upon a piece of bark to represent the Maḏarrpa clan estate in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Baratjala is where Mundukul the Lightning Snake lives, beneath the sea. This place is an important area for Marawili and her clan, and audiences can see several of her works highlighting the Baratjala in brilliant fuchsia, magenta and dusty pink.

Traditionally, it has been a Yolŋu convention to paint only with materials collected from Country. In 2017, this idea was challenged by Noŋgirrŋa Marawili who became the first artist to work with recycled printer cartridges. This opened a plethora of opportunities, from new colours to the ability to paint on a larger scale. Baratjala makes use of bold and brilliant cartridge pink, magenta and fuchsia upon a piece of bark to represent the Maḏarrpa clan estate in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Baratjala is where Mundukul the Lightning Snake lives, beneath the sea. This place is an important area for Marawili and her clan, and audiences can see several of her works highlighting the Baratjala in brilliant fuchsia, magenta and dusty pink.

Visitors of NGV Triennial will no doubt recognise Dhambit Munuŋgurr’s vibrant blue palette, another artist working with unconventional colours. Munuŋgurr was granted special permission to use store-bought paints after suffering injuries from a car accident that left her unable to grind ochres into paint. For this exhibition Munuŋgurr presents a new work, Order, a striking, political work that marks a departure from her previous focus on Ancestral Yolŋu stories. Depicted is former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard AC delivering her now famous ‘Misogyny Speech’. While Prime Minister, Gillard had planned to visit Yirrkala, however, a spill ousted her as leader of the Labour Party and the trip was cancelled. This historical moment stayed with Munuŋgurr and inspired this work. Speaking with Munuŋgurr via FaceTime, Gillard recently visited the NGV to see Order on display, and I invite you to watch what she had to say.

Visitors of NGV Triennial will no doubt recognise Dhambit Munuŋgurr’s vibrant blue palette, another artist working with unconventional colours. Munuŋgurr was granted special permission to use store-bought paints after suffering injuries from a car accident that left her unable to grind ochres into paint. For this exhibition Munuŋgurr presents a new work, Order, a striking, political work that marks a departure from her previous focus on Ancestral Yolŋu stories. Depicted is former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard AC delivering her now famous ‘Misogyny Speech’. While Prime Minister, Gillard had planned to visit Yirrkala, however, a spill ousted her as leader of the Labour Party and the trip was cancelled. This historical moment stayed with Munuŋgurr and inspired this work. Speaking with Munuŋgurr via FaceTime, Gillard recently visited the NGV to see Order on display, and I invite you to watch what she had to say.

One of the most recent Yolŋu artists to have work on display is Eunice Djerrkŋu Yunupiŋu, whose paintings were first exhibited in Melbourne last year in a sell-out solo exhibition. Her work centres on a fantastical memory she has of her spiritual conception as a mermaid. She recalls that one day when fishing, her father speared what he thought was a large fish. It was in fact her, a mermaid. She bled human blood into the water and was left with the scar that now appears on her right leg. At the time she was in the womb of her mother, and thus this has become her conception story. My Wedding illustrates several mermaids in a figurative reimagination of her wedding. The painting embraces a technicolour palette with a mix of earth pigments and recycled printer ink.

One of the most recent Yolŋu artists to have work on display is Eunice Djerrkŋu Yunupiŋu, whose paintings were first exhibited in Melbourne last year in a sell-out solo exhibition. Her work centres on a fantastical memory she has of her spiritual conception as a mermaid. She recalls that one day when fishing, her father speared what he thought was a large fish. It was in fact her, a mermaid. She bled human blood into the water and was left with the scar that now appears on her right leg. At the time she was in the womb of her mother, and thus this has become her conception story. My Wedding illustrates several mermaids in a figurative reimagination of her wedding. The painting embraces a technicolour palette with a mix of earth pigments and recycled printer ink.

Ms N Yunupiŋu’s Gana (Self) is monumental in size, consisting of sixteen irregularly shaped bark paintings and nine ḻarrakitj to form a dense installation display. In isolation, each work is markedly different. Some are highly stylised and minimal, while others are busier. Ms Yunupiŋu was an intuitive artist, and her shifts between the dense and the sparse across each element in this large-scale installation, work together to form a self-portrait. The movement felt between each individual piece as well as each line, shape and form depicted, reflect Ms Yunupiŋu herself. Visitors will also have the privilege of seeing some of her earlier works on paper within the children’s exhibition, The Gecko and the Mermaid: Djerrkŋu Yunupiŋu and Her Sister, and can experience both the development of her practice as well as recognise those elements she carried through her career. It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Ms Yunupiŋu, and we offer our sincere condolences to her family and friends during this time.

Ms N Yunupiŋu’s Gana (Self) is monumental in size, consisting of sixteen irregularly shaped bark paintings and nine ḻarrakitj to form a dense installation display. In isolation, each work is markedly different. Some are highly stylised and minimal, while others are busier. Ms Yunupiŋu was an intuitive artist, and her shifts between the dense and the sparse across each element in this large-scale installation, work together to form a self-portrait. The movement felt between each individual piece as well as each line, shape and form depicted, reflect Ms Yunupiŋu herself. Visitors will also have the privilege of seeing some of her earlier works on paper within the children’s exhibition, The Gecko and the Mermaid: Djerrkŋu Yunupiŋu and Her Sister, and can experience both the development of her practice as well as recognise those elements she carried through her career. It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Ms Yunupiŋu, and we offer our sincere condolences to her family and friends during this time.

In a unique and immersive display within the exhibition stand sixteen larrakitj by famed artists, Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, Malaluba Gumana and Dhambit Munuŋgurr. Painted onto hollowed out eucalyptus trunks are detailed works that can each be viewed individually, and in a dialogue that is only enhanced by the mirrors encasing the space. Five of these are painted by Malaluba Gumana, each titled Dhatam (Waterlilies). Gumana primarily painted designs from the Gälpu people, her mother’s clan who reside on the sacred site of Gängan. Dhatam are plants that grow in a billabong near this area, and the long, winding lines Gumana paints amongst them symbolise Wititj (the olive python) and his companion Djaykung (the Javanese file snake). Wititj, known in English as the rainbow serpent, is an omnipotent Ancestral being who travelled through these lands and now lives with Djaykung among the dhatam. It is believed when the snakes move, ripples and rainbows are created on the water, and when the sunlight hits their scales, prisms of light form rainbows. During storms, the power of lightning is understood to be the moment when snakes strike with their tongues, and thunder is the sound the snakes make as they move along the ground.

In a unique and immersive display within the exhibition stand sixteen larrakitj by famed artists, Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, Malaluba Gumana and Dhambit Munuŋgurr. Painted onto hollowed out eucalyptus trunks are detailed works that can each be viewed individually, and in a dialogue that is only enhanced by the mirrors encasing the space. Five of these are painted by Malaluba Gumana, each titled Dhatam (Waterlilies). Gumana primarily painted designs from the Gälpu people, her mother’s clan who reside on the sacred site of Gängan. Dhatam are plants that grow in a billabong near this area, and the long, winding lines Gumana paints amongst them symbolise Wititj (the olive python) and his companion Djaykung (the Javanese file snake). Wititj, known in English as the rainbow serpent, is an omnipotent Ancestral being who travelled through these lands and now lives with Djaykung among the dhatam. It is believed when the snakes move, ripples and rainbows are created on the water, and when the sunlight hits their scales, prisms of light form rainbows. During storms, the power of lightning is understood to be the moment when snakes strike with their tongues, and thunder is the sound the snakes make as they move along the ground.

To learn more about these daring artists, their stories and their cultures, I invite you to enjoy our video series celebrating Yolŋu art, culture and community. For families, The Gecko and the Mermaid: Djerrkŋu Yunupiŋu and Her Sister is an exhibition designed for children to interact with multimedia games and hands-on art activities which teach them about Country, local food and how to count in Yolŋu Matha. Both exhibitions are free for all to enjoy.

The artworks by these Yolŋu artists are truly ground-breaking. I hope you can visit them soon,

Tony Ellwood AM
Director, National Gallery of Victoria

To learn more about these daring artists, their stories and their cultures, I invite you to enjoy our video series celebrating Yolŋu art, culture and community. For families, The Gecko and the Mermaid: Djerrkŋu Yunupiŋu and Her Sister is an exhibition designed for children to interact with multimedia games and hands-on art activities which teach them about Country, local food and how to count in Yolŋu Matha. Both exhibitions are free for all to enjoy.

The artworks by these Yolŋu artists are truly ground-breaking. I hope you can visit them soon,

Tony Ellwood AM
Director, National Gallery of Victoria