At the age of 75, Nyapanyapa Yunupingu, an artist from remote east Arnhem Land, has reached a milestone as the star of a major new exhibition at Darwin's Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT).
Key points:
- MAGNT has reopened as coroanvirus restrictions have eased
- An exhibition is showcasing the diverse work of Nyapanyapa Yunupingu
- The curator says a solo exhibition for an Aboriginal artist was "long overdue"
A collection at the gallery this month featuring more than 60 of Ms Yunupingu's works is the first time MAGNT has held a solo exhibition for an Aboriginal artist.
"I will be going to Darwin and taking my painting with me, and when they see this design, the balanda [non-Indigenous people] will be very excited and want to shake my hand," she told the ABC from her community of Yirrkala in Arnhem Land.
Exhibition curator Luke Scholes said the solo exhibition was important recognition for the artist.
"It's long overdue. It's history making," he said.
"The gallery is acknowledging over the last decade that artists have been able to distinguish themselves, and female Indigenous artists are leading the charge," he said.
Memories form part of the story
Ms Yunupingu, from the renowned Buku Larrnggay Mulka art centre in Yirrkala, has worked as an artist for more than two decades and the exhibition includes paintings, sculptures and screen-based work.
For Ms Yunupingu the exhibition is a mix of personal memories, and expressions of "just doing".
"I have memories when I was young of being with women from my family at the beach. There are memories here," she said.
"There are stories, and there are works of just doing, of feeling good in just creating."
Some of the memories show the artist with her granddaughters gathering bush apples.
Other pieces in the exhibition document her near-death experience in 1975 when she was gored by a wild buffalo.
One of her works depicting that experience received a Wandjuk Marika Memorial Prize in 2008, at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards.
She has since refused to paint about that moment, or talk about it, since a nightmare about that experience on the evening she won that award, but agreed for the pieces to be included in the collection on show.
Will Stubbs, the coordinator of the Baku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, said what made the artworks unique was that much of it reflected on the artist's personal experiences.
"This body of work is a significant part of a significant story. There is an immense richness to Indigenous art, but this underlines its variety," he said.
Mr Stubbs said the gallery's decision to showcase her work was a "milestone".
"It is hard to put this into words, there is a sense of pride in this," he said.
Exhibition a 'milestone' amid COVID-19 pandemic
The exhibition is a milestone that nearly did not happen amid the coronavirus pandemic with lockdowns delaying it by more than a month.
It had initially been due to be announced on International Women's Day and to open in April, but coronavirus restrictions closed the gallery.
"It was a challenging and dark time, we were on the cusp of this enormously important show, not just for the NT but for the country, and then the pandemic hit," Mr Scholes said.
"We had to maintain physical distancing while putting up these artworks, which was incredibly difficult. It took a bit over three weeks to install."
MAGNT is one of the first galleries to reopen as coronavirus restrictions ease around the country.
With the existing travel restrictions in place around Australia, much of the audience for the show will be people from the NT.
"Prior to coronavirus I remember thinking what a rare opportunity this was to develop this exhibit and share it, now you can only see it as an even more precious thing," Mr Scholes said.
"It's a beautiful thing. After that uncertainty, when everything shut down. That we now have this story of celebrating this unique artist."
Restrictions on travel within the Northern Territory mean Ms Yunupingu has not yet travelled to Darwin to see the exhibition but when the NT's biosecurity zones lift, she hopes she will manage to see it.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiWGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA1LTMwL2V4aGliaXRpb24tY2VsZWJyYXRlcy1hcm5oZW0tbGFuZC1hcnRpc3QvMTIwMTgyODDSASdodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTIwMTgyODA?oc=5
2020-05-30 01:01:35Z
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