Yúbburr-yubburr: Dusk

Nomad Art in conjunction with Bábbarra Women’s Centre and Euroa Butter Factory present Yúbburr-yubburr: Dusk

Yúbburr-yubburr: Dusk brings together well-known female artists from the Kuninjku homelands of Arnhem Land. Their colourful and expressive hand printed fabrics integrate time-honoured traditions of art making with contemporary imagery.

Deborah Wurrkidj, Jennifer Wurrkidj, Susan Marawarr, Janet Marawarr, Raylene Bonson, Elizabeth Kala Kala and Melba Gunjarrwanga, are women of the stone country who work with Babbarra Designs.

These women have formed the backbone of a generation of Kuninjku artists since the 1990s. They continue to forge a path for women in their community and push the boundaries of their creative practice.

Yúbburr-yubburr refers to the light just after sundown or ‘dusk’, referencing the pallet of colours the Babbarra artists use to print their fabrics. The colours remind the women of the light and hues from the sun in nature.

Yirrkala Print Space 2019

Yirrkala Print Space is one of the Australia’s premier print studios specialising in limited edition works on paper produced on their own press. The studio continues to expand its collaborations with master printmakers from across Australia and around the world to facilitate new works and continue the development of techniques and experimentation across the generations of Yolngu printmakers. Printmaking techniques including Japanese woodblock, etching, linocut, screenprints and collagraphs have been learnt, absorbed and applied, combining traditional designs and knowledge to create new artworks.

While these Yolngu artists are respectful of the discipline of miny’tji (sacred design), the nature of the printmaking process has provided artistic freedom of expression; enabling them to experiment with colour, imagery, concepts and design without compromising their spiritual identity. The art of Yirrkala Print Space is being collected and exhibited by galleries around Australia.

North to South

Nomad Art is now in Euroa, north-east Victoria in Taungurung Country, where we acknowledge the Taungurung people and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

Nomad Art will continue from our new base in Euroa, where we will promote  prints from over 35 Aboriginal Art Centres and artists based in regional and remote Australia.

Nomad Art – Out of the Office

To celebrate we are featuring our favourite projects
Replant: A New Generation of Botanical Art
Djalkiri: We are standing on their names, Blue Mud Bay
Tales of the Avians
Custodians: Country and Culture

Injalak Arts Prints from the stone country of Western Arnhem Land

This body of work explores the links between Indigenous cultural heritage, environment and aesthetic traditions of artists from western Arnhem Land.

The artists represent a unique group of painters and print makers who have maintained the distinctive practise associated with the traditions of rock art painting in western Arnhem Land and the knowledge it purveys. The artists, many of whom are now deceased, include some of the great practitioners of Kunwinjku art including Graham Badari, Bardayal (Lofty) Nadjamerrek (dec), England Banggala (dec), Solomon Girrabul (dec) and Ezarahia Kelly.

The Stone Country of western Arnhem Land also known as the plateau country adjoins Kakadu National Park. The rocky outcrops of the escarpment dominate the landscape while adjacent flood plains, permanent rivers and billabongs are abundant with life of countless species of animals and plants.

View the Bardayal Bim Folio

Warlayirti Artists and Printmakers

Warlayirti Artists from Balgo are well known for their beautiful, high quality artworks including limited edition prints.

The prints are the result of a long-standing collaboration between the Balgo artists and the printers from Northern Editions in Darwin. This partnership resulted in numerous editions of etchings and screen prints and expanded to include Japanese woodblock printing for the men.

The collection of editions available at Nomad Art include significant senior artists Eubena Nampitjin, Elizabeth Nyumi, Ningie Nanala, Helicopter Joey  Tjungurrayi and Bai Bai Napangarti and some the first prints created by these artists between 2002 – 2007.

As senior custodians from Balgo, Lake Mackay, Canning Stock Route, Billiluna, Tanami and Great Sandy Deserts, the artists hold a unique position in Aboriginal and artistic history.

Anne McMaster

Anne McMaster continues her exploration of the natural habitats of the Tiwi Islands including coastal mangroves and coral. Other elements that influence her work are the changing nature of the seasons and the beautiful Island light. These works were created in early 2019 as Anne prepares her departure from Melville Island after many years.

Warlukurlangu Artists

This month we have delved into the archives to reveal classic etchings by senior Warlukurlangu artists Shorty Jangala Robertson, Paddy Japaljarri Stewart, Paddy  Japaljarri Sims and Rosie Nangala Flemming.  The artists are recognised for their bold colour and strong traditional iconography. The paintings tell the story of the artists’ connection to their country, the features of the landscape, the plants and animals that are found there and the creation stories from the Dreamtime.

Each artist has his or her own particular style and distinctive colour palette. The artists love to experiment with different techniques ensuring that the artworks and styles are constantly evolving.

Sand stories and other collections

This month we are focusing on historical suites and collections. Works include an exciting series of six ceremonial body paint designs from Kaltjiti Arts, a collection of the first screenprints produced at mimili maku and an amazing folio of milpatjunanyi – sand stories by Nura Rupert and Nungalka (Tjaria) Stanley from Ernabella Arts.

Milpatjunanyi – telling stories in the sand

Telling stories by drawing in the sand is the domain of women and girls among the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara speaking peoples of the desert country of central Australia.

These etching suites are a contemporary expression of an ancient, deeply held cultural practice. The stories are told in the sand on which the people sit – the ground across which they walk – and the land that has sustained them for thousands of years – providing the materials and subject matter for telling life’s big and small stories.

Traditionally these stories were often told in the evening, as family groups settled down for sleep in their transitory camp. One woman would take her mi/pa, the stick with which she beats the rhythm of the story, and with the other start drawing in the sand, episode by episode, smoothing the sand after each, until the story’s end.

View the Milpatjunanyi folio catalogue

View the Wati Ngintaka folio catalogue

Inma-ku Walka – Body design for Ceremony

These etchings are based on the imagery used for body painting during traditional lnma (traditional ceremonial dance). The designs are painted across the chest and breasts.

Other Nomad Art collections include:

Replant: A new generation of Botanical Art
Burning Bright from the Djalkiri Project
Custodians: Country & Culture
I am Tiwi
Waringarri Suite
Kunwarrde Bim – Injalak Hill Suite
Bardayal Bim
Yalangbara Suite

Reveal – from the collection

We have been busy looking through the archive and continually uploading exciting prints to the Nomad Art website.

Reveal includes etching, silkscreen and woodcut prints produced over the last 15 years by artists from the Central Desert, Kimberley, Arnhem Land, Tiwi Islands and Darwin.

View the works on the online gallery:

Man, Woman, Child, etching by Rhonda Sharpe

Untitled, woodcut by Mary Thomas

Barrwan Baru, reduction woodcut by Sandy Pascoe

Kalipinyapa, etching by Narlie Nakamarra

Wangupini, silkscreen by Nawurapu Wunungmurra

Jilamara, etching by Pedro Wonaeamirri