Blog

221382179466

Black Bream

Djilpin Arts is a not for profit Aboriginal Corporation that promotes the maintenance, development and transmission of traditional cultural knowledge systems.

Djilpin Arts specialises in art, live cultural performance, digital media, and produced the popular performance event – the Walking With Spirits Festival as well as Concerts on Country.

Djilpin Arts operates the Ghunmarn Culture Centre – home of the Blanasi Collection and offers fine arts & crafts for sale. Djilpin Arts operates an outlet in Katherine – Shed 5, where all works are sourced from Ghunmarn Culture Centre. Ghunmarn Culture Centre is in the Wugularr (Beswick) community of South East Arnhem Land.

All artworks are made by local artists living in the community. Artwork reflects the traditional songs and stories that have been passed down through the generations with a contemporary edge.  Fibre art is a special feature of Djilpin Arts as is its Gapu Series of fine art prints.

By CompNet Systems, ago

221382180845

Water Buffalo Resting

This painting depicts a small mob of Buffalo resting beside a water source. This is a common scene here in Beswick as water buffalo freely roam the area.

Painting has been completed using acrylic paint, and modern paintbrushes.

By CompNet Systems, ago

221382184964

Billabong Fish

This painting depicts multiple fish and aquatic species common to the Beswick region. Scotty painted this story with his young son, which is why there is an upside down fish at the top left corner.

Visible is a catfish at the bottom, two black bream on either side of a freshwater crocodile, a barramundi, an upside down nailfish or eel tail catfish, and a turtle.

Painting has been completed using a handmade Jarlk reed brush harvested from local billabongs and wet areas.

By CompNet Systems, ago

221382188469

Barra and Diving Duck

Djilpin Arts is a not for profit Aboriginal Corporation that promotes the maintenance, development and transmission of traditional cultural knowledge systems.

Djilpin Arts specialises in art, live cultural performance, digital media, and produced the popular performance event – the Walking With Spirits Festival as well as Concerts on Country.

Djilpin Arts operates the Ghunmarn Culture Centre – home of the Blanasi Collection and offers fine arts & crafts for sale. Djilpin Arts operates an outlet in Katherine – Shed 5, where all works are sourced from Ghunmarn Culture Centre. Ghunmarn Culture Centre is in the Wugularr (Beswick) community of South East Arnhem Land.

All artworks are made by local artists living in the community. Artwork reflects the traditional songs and stories that have been passed down through the generations with a contemporary edge.  Fibre art is a special feature of Djilpin Arts as is its Gapu Series of fine art prints.

By CompNet Systems, ago

221382188466

Catfish and Filesnake

Djilpin Arts is a not for profit Aboriginal Corporation that promotes the maintenance, development and transmission of traditional cultural knowledge systems.

Djilpin Arts specialises in art, live cultural performance, digital media, and produced the popular performance event – the Walking With Spirits Festival as well as Concerts on Country.

Djilpin Arts operates the Ghunmarn Culture Centre – home of the Blanasi Collection and offers fine arts & crafts for sale. Djilpin Arts operates an outlet in Katherine – Shed 5, where all works are sourced from Ghunmarn Culture Centre. Ghunmarn Culture Centre is in the Wugularr (Beswick) community of South East Arnhem Land.

All artworks are made by local artists living in the community. Artwork reflects the traditional songs and stories that have been passed down through the generations with a contemporary edge.  Fibre art is a special feature of Djilpin Arts as is its Gapu Series of fine art prints.

By CompNet Systems, ago

221382189314

Gecko File Snake and Long Tom

This piece by local custodian Frankie “Tango” Lane depicts three animals.

At top is a gecko, commonly found in houses or “kamps”.

At the middle is a file snake, or “quiet snake”. These snakes are found in billabongs and are tasty tucker. They are not poisonous.

At the bottom is a long tom. These are in most creeks around Beswick, and while tasty have a lot of bones. Because of this they are more often used as bait for larger species.

Painting has been completed using a handmade Jarlk reed brush harvested from local billabongs and wet areas. Raark or fine line work is in Yirritja style and consists of three or four lines before alternating colour.

By CompNet Systems, ago

377813282203247

Lorrkon

The Lorrkon is a hollow log coffin used by the people of Arnhem Land, Australia. It consists of a tree trunk hollowed out by termites and painted by a clan member of the deceased, with the bones placed inside.

The Lorrkon ceremony is the final ceremony in a sequence of mortuary rituals celebrated by the people of Arnhem Land. 

The ceremony involves the placing of the deceased’s bones into a hollow log which is decorated with painted clan designs and ceremonially placed into the ground where it remains until it slowly decays over many years.

The hollow log is made from a termite hollowed Stringybark tree (Eucalyptus tetradonta) and is decorated with totemic emblems.

The western Arnhem Land version of the Lorrkon ceremony involves the singing of sacred songs to the accompaniment of karlikarli—a pair of sacred boomerangs used as rhythm instruments.

In the past, the final evening of the ceremony involved dancers decorating themselves with kapok down. Today cotton wool is more commonly used. Much of the final segments of the ceremony are conducted in the secrecy of a restricted mens’ camp. 

The complete ceremony may stretch over a period of two weeks, but on the last night the bones of the deceased, which have been kept in a bark container (or more recently wrapped in cloth and kept in a suitcase) are taken out, painted with red ochre and placed inside the hollow log. This ceremony may take place many years after the person has died.

At first light on the final morning of the Lorrkon ceremony, the men appear, coming out of their secret bush camp carrying the pole towards the womens’ camp. The two groups call to each other using distinct ceremonial calls. The women have prepared a hole in which to stand the pole and when it is upright, women in particular kinship relationships to the deceased, dance around the pole in a jumping/shuffling motion. The Lorrkon is then often covered with a tarpaulin and left to slowly decay.

By CompNet Systems, ago

221382204734

Mimi dancing

This painting depicts four Mimi spirits dancing. Also included are some bush tools such as two spears, a mako or didgeridoo, clap sticks and a dilly bag.

Painting has been completed using a handmade Jarlk brush harvested from local billabongs and wet areas. Raark or fine line work is in Yirritja style and consists of three or four lines before alternating colours.

By CompNet Systems, ago