A subterranean art museum embedded in a hillside within a pristine wildlife reserve, Bundanon is a marvel of the NSW South Coast. The summer exhibition Miwatj Yolŋu – Sunrise People spotlights First Nations artists, presenting important works by 13 senior and emerging Yolŋu artists from the Yirrkala Community in East Arnhem Land.
Connected to the stylish climate-change-proof museum bunker, you’ll find a charcoal black bridge constructed from blackbutt timber strutting across the gully, which houses a café and accommodation rooms. Do you need any more excuses to visit before the current exhibition closes on February 11? We don’t think so, but just you keep reading.
Curated in collaboration with Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Art Centre and The Mulka Project, Miwatj Yolŋu – Sunrise People explores storytelling, ecology and materiality in the works of Yolŋu artists. Like Bundanon’s location in the Shoalhaven, Yirrkala is a place where fresh and saltwater meet, and its lands and waterways inform diverse creative practices. This multifaceted showing tells interwoven stories of land, water and sky.
The exhibition features works by Yolŋu artist Ms N Marawili, regarded as one of the most important Australian painters of her generation, who recently passed away in October. Known for her signature magenta hue salvaged from discarded printer cartridges, Ms N Marawili is one of the many artists in this exhibition who have pioneered the use of reclaimed materials in art-making, in keeping with the Yolŋu dictum, ‘if you paint the land, use the land’. This process is also seen through the metal works of Gaypalani Wanambi, one of the younger Yolŋu women; and Wanapati Yunupiŋu, who works with discarded signage and scrap metals from nearby bauxite mining sites.
The prolific artist Dhambit Munuŋgurr presents paintings in her iconic vivid palette of cobalt blue, capturing secular narratives with a deep understanding of Yolŋu lore; while Djakaŋu Yunupiŋu, one of the celebrated ‘seven sisters’ group of Yolngu women artists, presents a recent body of work depicting the artist’s interpretation of the sacred Yolŋu story about the constellation known as the Seven Sisters or Pleiades. There’s also a remarkable work by Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu, which uses a computer algorithm to seamlessly meld 120 white paint-pen-on-acetate drawings into an infinite and layered painting of light, demonstrating a conceptual leap from the static medium of painting.
Additionally, there are five video works presented throughout the exhibition created by Ruby Djikarra Alderton, Ishmael Marika, Patrina Munuŋgurr and Gutiŋarra Yunupiŋu. These artists are part of The Mulka Project and their works experiment with contemporary animation, film and performance, with the goal of preserving Yolŋu cultural knowledge.
During January 2024, the exhibition will be a key regional destination for Sydney Festival, attracting audiences from the city and across the state to experience the exhibition and public programs.
Entry to the exhibition is covered with general admission to Bundanon’s Art Museum. The Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-5pm. Tickets cost $18 for adults, $12 for concession, and a family is $40. Book here.
