Baratjala, 2023, 111,5 × 66 cm
Djapu, 2019, 52 x 31 cm, 65 x 30 cm, 58 x 32 cm
Garrimala (Gälpu), 1998, 104 × 29 cm
Ms N Marawili, born 1939, at Darrpirra, north of Djarrakpi (Cape Shield). Departed 2023.
Yolŋu senior artist and Madarrpa elder Ms N Marawili is regarded as one of the most important and revered contemporary Australian artists. Her unique interpretations of the land and sea, as well as stories from her culture, come to life as she utilised natural materials from the earth such as natural ochres and pigments combined with a striking use of pink ink from recycled print toner cartridges, aligning with the art centre’s elders philosophy ‘if you paint the land you should use the land’.
The result is an explosion of bold, ethereal and highly sophisticated contemporary artworks, which consistently allude to her strong cultural and familial ties, whilst simultaneously revealing her own visceral experience and knowledge of the land and stories of north-east Arnhem Land.
Winner of the coveted Bark Painting Award at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards in both 2015 and 2019, and of the Roberts Family Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Prize as part of the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney in 2019, Ms N Marawili’s extraordinary career continued to reach new heights.
In 2018 the Art Gallery of New South Wales presented a major solo exhibition From my Heart and Mind by Ms N Marawili, a significant exhibition and accompanying publication that spanned the artist’s career with a focus on the previous five years. In 2020, MS N Marawili was selected to participate in the prestigious NIRIN, Biennale of Sydney, exhibiting a major installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), as well as at Campbelltown Arts Centre.
In 2021 Ms N Marawili was short-listed for three prestigious national prizes, the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Darwin, Northern Territory; the Hadley’s Art Prize, Hobart, Tasmania; and, the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. Her works were also included in a major landmark exhibition presented by the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra entitled Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now and in an exhibition at the ARTIZON Museum (formerly Bridgestone Museum of Art) in Tokyo, Japan entitled STEPS AHEAD. In addition to presenting a sell-out solo exhibition at Alcaston Gallery, titled DÄL – Resilience, Ms N Marawili was also included in the landmark exhibition Bark Ladies at NGV International in Melbourne.
In 2022 one of Ms N Marawili’s bark painting was acquired by the Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, as part of the International Joint Acquisition Program for contemporary Australian art between the two prominent art institutions.
Yolŋu senior artist and Madarrpa elder Ms N Marawili is regarded as one of the most important and revered contemporary Australian artists. Her unique interpretations of the land and sea, as well as stories from her culture, come to life as she utilised natural materials from the earth such as natural ochres and pigments combined with a striking use of pink ink from recycled print toner cartridges, aligning with the art centre’s elders philosophy ‘if you paint the land you should use the land’.
The result is an explosion of bold, ethereal and highly sophisticated contemporary artworks, which consistently allude to her strong cultural and familial ties, whilst simultaneously revealing her own visceral experience and knowledge of the land and stories of north-east Arnhem Land.
Winner of the coveted Bark Painting Award at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards in both 2015 and 2019, and of the Roberts Family Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Prize as part of the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney in 2019, Ms N Marawili’s extraordinary career continued to reach new heights.
In 2018 the Art Gallery of New South Wales presented a major solo exhibition From my Heart and Mind by Ms N Marawili, a significant exhibition and accompanying publication that spanned the artist’s career with a focus on the previous five years. In 2020, MS N Marawili was selected to participate in the prestigious NIRIN, Biennale of Sydney, exhibiting a major installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), as well as at Campbelltown Arts Centre.
In 2021 Ms N Marawili was short-listed for three prestigious national prizes, the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Darwin, Northern Territory; the Hadley’s Art Prize, Hobart, Tasmania; and, the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. Her works were also included in a major landmark exhibition presented by the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra entitled Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now and in an exhibition at the ARTIZON Museum (formerly Bridgestone Museum of Art) in Tokyo, Japan entitled STEPS AHEAD. In addition to presenting a sell-out solo exhibition at Alcaston Gallery, titled DÄL – Resilience, Ms N Marawili was also included in the landmark exhibition Bark Ladies at NGV International in Melbourne.
In 2022 one of Ms N Marawili’s bark painting was acquired by the Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, as part of the International Joint Acquisition Program for contemporary Australian art between the two prominent art institutions.
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