03. Bawaliba Homeland
Four earth pigment drawings on paper by Bulanjdjan Lucy Yarawanga.
This original work is part of Bawaliba Homeland, is Lucy's first solo exhibition showcasing a large body of works onn paper depicting the lives of Bawaliba at their homeland near Djinkarr, Central Arnhem Land.
"I’m telling lots of different stories in this painting.I have painted four campfires, and some Bawaliba are keeping themselves warm by the fire. They are sitting down by the fire, celebrating their feed, cooking yam or kunj (kangaroo), and waiting for the night. After their feed they feel good, and tell stories. Sometimes they sing and dance. When they get tired, they might just sleep by the fire too.
Some of them are sleeping in paper bark huts, which they built from stringybark wood and walls from paperbark. They get the wood from near the billabong when they are hunting long neck turtles.” - Bulunjdjan Lucy Yarawanga
- Earth Pigment on Paper
- White timber frame
- 1580mm x 1220 mm (framed)
- Cat No 1-23-1-4/4
Bulanjdjan Lucy Yarawanga is an experienced Gurr-goni textile artist, who predominantly works at Bábbarra Women’s Centre in Maningrida. She works with both lino and screen printing techniques, with her textile designs often referencing her ancestral stories, including various depictions of Bawaliba (Djinkarr spirit woman).
Lucy’s painting style, like her personality, is bold and to the point. As well as her native Gurr-goni language – one of the least commonly spoken languages in Arnhem Land, Lucy also speaks another eight Maningrida languages. Lucy has been exhibiting in group shows with Babbarra Women’s Centre and Maningrida Arts & Culture over recent years.
Bawaliba homeland will be Lucy's first solo exhibition showcasing a large body of works on paper depicting the lives of Bawaliba at their homeland near Djinkarr, Central Arnhem Land.
Bábbarra Women’s Centre works with women who from more than 12 language groups in the Maningrida region who come together to share knowledge and ideas. The group's main social enterprise, Bábbarra Designs, has been going strong since 1989, designing and hand-printed exquisite textiles that are sold around the world. Each length of fabric is unique and tells the ancestral stories of Arnhem Land country and cultures.
"People tell us our designs are bold and elegant, but for us they are more than designs: these designs tell the stories of our lives. They bring a lot of joy to everyone – to us, our families and our customers alike. Working creatively with Bábbarra Designs is a way for us to achieve financial independence, for our community and the next generations."
Maningrida Arts & Culture is a pre-eminent site of contemporary cultural expression and art-making, abundant with highly collectable art and emerging talent.
Through their homelands resource organisation, Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation, artists turned an art trade that began just over 50 years ago into a multi-million dollar arts and cultural enterprise. Maningrida Arts & Culture supported hundreds of artists on their homelands, more than 20 artworkers, held 20 exhibitions annually, won prestigious awards, and enjoyed the international fame and success that the boom in the Aboriginal art market of the 1990s and 2000s enabled.
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