December 2023

Red Bush Apples

Ngarrbek (Echidna) and Kunred

Mimih Dancing and Namurre Boko

‘This is an artwork about two dancing Mimihs. It’s based on a songline from Korlobidahdah. My fathers eldest brother used to sing this song line and Unkle D, he was a dancer. My real father, Jacky was a dancer as well and he was from Korlobidahdah. This is a really happy musical story to celebrate culture and family.’ Jay Jurrupula Rostron

The striking yellow – gold hue comes from the root of the man-kurdudjumuk plant (coelospermum reticulatum) which has been harvested from the sandy country near the flood plains. This laborious and tiring process requires digging up the entire shrub. The root is shaven into a pot of water and the colour is released into water through the boiling process. This silk fabric was dyed by Deborah Wurrkidj and boiled for hours. It has a slight rough, hard wearing texture. 

Mimih Dancing and Namurre Boko

‘This is an artwork about two dancing Mimihs. It’s based on a songline from Korlobidahdah. My fathers eldest brother used to sing this song line and Unkle D, he was a dancer. My real father, Jacky was a dancer as well and he was from Korlobidahdah. This is a really happy musical story to celebrate culture and family.’ Jay Jurrupula Rostron

The striking yellow – gold hue comes from the root of the man-kurdudjumuk plant (coelospermum reticulatum) which has been harvested from the sandy country near the flood plains. This laborious and tiring process requires digging up the entire shrub. The root is shaven into a pot of water and the colour is released into water through the boiling process. This silk fabric was dyed by Deborah Wurrkidj and boiled for hours. It has a slight rough, hard wearing texture. 

Manbirrbbirr (small bush flowers)

In Kuninjku the name manbirrbbirr is used for a number of densely flowering shrubs and small trees including Verticordia cunninghamii, yellow flowering Austromyrtus species and also Acacia platycarpa which also has dense white. 

This design is a patchwork of small Lino tiles representing various flowers in Arnhem Land. Abigail has incorporated the designs of her late mother. The cloth was hand dyed by Abigail’s aunt Deborah Wurrkidj. 

The striking yellow – orange  hue comes from the root of the man-kurdudjumuk plant (coelospermum reticulatum) which has been harvested from the sandy country near the flood plains. This laborious and tiring process requires digging up the entire shrub. The root is shaven into a pot of water and the colour is released into water through the boiling process. Ashes have been added to soften the yellow into more of a peach orange tone. 

Kunred Kunkurra (Helen Kaminski)

The artist, Janet Marawarr calls this design Kunred Kunkurra in her language, Kuninjku. Kunred means country, kunkurra refers the spiralling wind associated with the mini cyclones that occur around several sites in the Kardbam clan during the build up to the wet season. Marawarr often shares different versions of Kunkurra in her Lino print and Screen Print designs, the story or djang (dreaming) can be heard across the Kardbam clan groups  Eastern Kunwinjku and Kuninjku people  of the Yirridja moiety. This particular artwork describes the underground lightening that occurs during Kunkurra, in the build up to a storm in Mankorlod, Marawarr’s clan estate in West Arnhem Land. 

‘The round shapes in the design mean flashing lightening. The lines beside those shapes are foot tracks,  human foot tracks. When the rain falls it makes mud and underground lightening. When the sky is really red and black, we see the build up to a storm and we call that Kakodjngolbalabalahmen. That means that the clouds are forming.   So that’s the one you see in this artwork.  You can also see the leaves on top of the mud when the rain stops.’ Janet Marawarr 2023 

man-kurdudjumuk – yellow colour

The striking yellow – gold hue comes from the root of the man-kurdudjumuk plant (coelospermum reticulatum) which has been harvested from the sandy country near the flood plains. This laborious and tiring process requires digging up the entire shrub. The root is shaven into a pot of water and the colour is released into water through the boiling process. 

Red Bush Apples

Red Bush Apples