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Yawkyawk, Ngaloyd and Kundalk – Woodblock

A beautiful vegetable print cotton yardage featuring woodblock designs created in 2023 during a workshop with Tharangini Studio in Bangalore. This fabric features the following block designs:

Kundalk (grasses) by Deborah Wurrkidj

Yawkyawk (young woman spirit) by Deborah Wurrkidj

Ngalyod (Rainbow Serpent) by Jennifer Wurrkidj (Dec)

Printed in India by Tharangini Studio – Bangalore. This is a limited edition cotton yardage created as a result of workshops in India in January 2023. As part of their visit to India to open their exhibition, Jarracharra (dry season wind), Janet Marawarr and Deborah Wurrkidj visited Tharangini Studio, Bangalore’s oldest heritage textile studio. Established in 1977, Tharangini is woman-owned and specialises in organic, sustainable woodblock printed textiles. Tharangini’s skilled artisans worked closely with Babbarra in 2022 to hand carve some of babbarra designs old, Lino cut designs into woodblock. This initiative was supported by Kinaway Chamber of Commerce, Victoria and Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation.

‘I’m excited to see my Lino design made into woodblock. We are going to spend Saturday printing with Tharangini studio. We are going to learn woodblock printing. I’ve been working Bábbarra Women’s Centre for 37 years since it started. I’ve been printing Lino on fabric.’ Janet Marawarr 2023 ‘Tomorrow we do printing Yawkyawk (mermaid spirit) and Ngalyod (rainbow serpent). My design is together with my sister. Together we started working at the Women’s Centre and Maningrida Arts and Culture, taught by our mother and grandmother. My sister is a sick one and she pass on her story to me – Ngalyod (rainbow serpent). I help my sister, I help carry the knowledge for her. That’s why we both have designs being made into woodblock.’ Deborah Wurrkidj 2022

Categories: Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation

Name: Deborah Wurrkidj

Language: Kuninjku

Biography:

Deborah Wurrkidj is a highly regarded, versatile artist who has readily adapted to new art forms while retaining her strong clan traditions. She has been working with Bábbarra Designs since 1991, alongside her mother, Helen Lanyinwanga, and sister Jennifer Wurrkidj. She is a leading textile artist and an integral member of Bábbarra Women’s Centre.

Deborah’s work is vibrant, tactile and intricate, evocative of the local natural environment as well as referencing her deep cultural knowledge. Her extensive body of textile art is illustrative of the artistic innovation that has occurred in Maningrida in recent times and that is apparent in her work in other mediums also.

Deborah is world renowned for her bark painting, lorrkkon (hollow logs), and fibre baskets. She has exhibited widely since 2001, throughout Australia as well as in Europe and the United States. She is represented in most of Australia’s state gallery collections.

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