Acknowledging and celebrating a communal model of practice and the notion of collectivity that is at the core of Yolŋu knowledges and worldviews, this exhibition brings together a selection of recent collagraphs by six senior Yolŋu artists: Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, Dhuwarrwarr Marika, Barayuwa Munuŋgurr, Mr. W. Wanambi, Ms. M. Wirrpanda and Ms. N. Yunupiŋu.

The prints were produced in collaboration with printer Sean Richard Smith at the Yirrkala Print Space at Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre, the oldest Aboriginal owned and run print studio in Australia, founded in 1995, in north-east Arnhem Land. A place of continued innovation and experimentation, led by Yolŋu women, the Yirrkala Print Space is distinctive amongst remote community art centres, focussing on the production of limited-edition fine art prints by locally employed and trained Indigenous printmakers on behalf of Yolŋu artists.

These works showcase the unique visual language of each artist and their innovations within the collagraphic medium. In many of these, materials collected on Country, such as sand, leaves and rags were used to create the marks and surface textures, over which a second layer of screen-printing was added. Embedded in the works are the artists’ individual expressions of their clans and Country. Miny’tji (sacred clan designs) are not permitted to be reproduced by mechanical means. Consultation with Yolŋu Elders informs the working protocols that allow for artistic experimentation at Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre, while ensuring that sacred designs are not compromised through the printmaking process.

Manya Sellers Associate Curator, Collection

This is the ninth exhibition in the Artist Room, a series highlighting the work of MCA Collection artists, offering deeper insights into their practices.