30
E X H I B I T I O N H I G H L I G H T S
2 0 1 3 R E V I E W
DEATH AND LIFE:
RAKUNY GA WALNGA:
CONTEMPORARY ARNHEM LAND ART
‘Death and Life: rakuny ga walnga’ highlighted the patterning and
imagery of artworks from Arnhem Land that mark the universal cycle
of regeneration.
01
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The bark paintings, memorial poles, sculptures
and weavings in the exhibition reflected the
languages, moieties, clan affiliations and connections
with country of the artists, who are from saltwater
communities around Yirrkala in the east, across savannah
and swamp lands, to the rocky escarpment terrain near
Maningrida in the west | Installation view | GOMA |
May 2013 | Photograph: Brodie Standen
04
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Central to many of the works were the actions
of the great ancestral creator spirits, who
brought light and life to the featureless land | Installation
view | GOMA | May 2013 | Photograph: Brodie Standen
03
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An ephemeral yingapungapu — a shallow,
stylised canoe, sculpted from the soil for
ceremonial death rituals by the people of north-eastern
Arnhem Land — was created by Yirrkala artists especially
for ‘Death and Life’ | A ceremonial performance was part
of the opening weekend’s program of events | GOMA |
May 2013 | Photograph: Brodie Standen
