Collaborating art centres
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Foundations: developing Gululu dhuwala djalkiri
4 February 2021
An exhibition created in collaboration with Yol艐u communities
For the Yol艐u people of eastern Arnhem Land, the foundation of their knowledge is expressed through art. Curator Rebecca Conway shares the ideas and process behind this powerful exhibition.
The University of Sydney holds听close to 1,000 items of Yol艐u cultural听heritage. Most recently we acquired听an award-winning video work for听the current exhibition. Other works听were created and brought here, some听nearly 100 years ago. Together, they听represent three major centres of听Yol艐u settlement and art-production听鈥� generations of art and artists听from Milingimbi/Yurrwi Island,听Ramingining, and Yirrkala in eastern听Arnhem Land.听
Through these collections we see听the concerns, politics, key players and听artists who were actively engaging听with balanda (non-Indigenous)听academics in order to make them听understand the veracity of their听culture. We also see glimpses back听millennia, to creation times and听wa艐arr (ancestral beings), the听influences that shaped the Yol艐u听people, their land and waters. Proudly,听Yol艐u continue to develop within this听deep inheritance.听
Indigenous art historian, Stephen听Gilchrist in his introduction for the听book, Djalkiri: Yol艐u art, collaborations听and collections (to be launched in听conjunction with the exhibition)听comments that, 鈥溾�orking with either听historical collections or contemporary听objects demands a commitment to听the unvoiced dimensions of works听of art, their cultural signification,听biographical elements and political听potency. Indigenous curation is听premised on this cultural mandate to听speak with and listen to the objects.鈥�
Museum staff installing Gululu dhuwala djalkiri:听welcome to the Yol艐u foundations, 2020.听听Photo: Chau Chak Wing听Museum
How do you honour this, especially听when one is a non-Indigenous curator听working with Indigenous collections?听We need to think deeply about听who can speak most meaningfully听for collections, who most needs to听listen, and how such conversations听and interactions can be facilitated in听present circumstances.
I have been privileged to have been听mentored by several Yol艐u Elders and听academics. One of my most influential听was Gupapuy艐u clan leader and听honorary doctorate of the university,听Dr Joe Neparr艐a Gumbula (1954鈥�2015)听who I worked with at the university听from 2009. He urged me and others听like me, 鈥溾�� to start digging into that听whole historical message鈥�. He said, 鈥淚t听isn鈥檛 just for balanda anthropologists听[or curators] to find and give the听information, there should be a听mixture. We are all brought up in this world, we all have different cultures to听be respected.鈥�
鈥淚t isn鈥檛 just for balanda anthropologists [or curators] to find and give the information, there should be a mixture. We are all brought up in this world, we all have different cultures to be respected.鈥�
Dr Joe Neparr艐a Gumbula (1954鈥�2015), Gupapuy艐u clan leader, honorary doctorate of the University
Tolbert Dharramanba and Djon Mundine OAM examine documentation of artworks painted at Ramingining, museum curator Rebecca Conway looking on. Raymond Bulambula and Joe Dhamanydji from Milingimbi Art and Culture working in the background. University Museums storerooms, Sydney, December 2018. Photo: Chau Chak Wing听Museum
Flash forward to 2018, when a听group of six Elders, representatives of听the three Yol艐u communities we hold听work from, came to Sydney to view听the collections and advise and direct听us how to develop the exhibition from听their perspective. In a presentation听to university alumni, Rirratji艐u clan听leader and artist, Wanyubi Marika,听stated, 鈥淲e are being taught in our听own professional manner to become听a professor or doctor or whatever.听We sit it in that 鈥榣ab鈥�, that dalkarra听[knowledge base of Yol艐u law, songs,听sacred business]. First, you have to听be an artist 鈥� then you are going into听another level of qualification, you听are qualified to go step by step. In a听similar way that you are learning in听universities, we have the same thing.鈥�
Y盲lpi Yunupi艐u and Wanyubi Marika discuss grouping of works听from Yirrkala with curator Matt Poll. University Museums storerooms, Sydney, December 2018. Photo: Chau Chak Wing听Museum听 听听
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There are more than 40 clans听and many Yol艐u matha (languages).听Yol艐u miny鈥檛ji (clan designs) as听represented through their art are听core aspects of their intellectual听property. Rich with metaphor and听complex interrelationships, they听signal and protect deeper meanings.听Visually striking, the exhibition we听have developed collaboratively听over the last two years, showcases听the miny鈥檛ji of more than 20 Yol艐u clan听groups and over 100 artists. More听than 350 works have been grouped to听represent the artists鈥� clan inheritances听and estates and to loosely map from听east to west the geographical and听cultural landscape of much of eastern听Arnhem Land.
The title of the exhibition听developed by the Yol艐u project team听is an invitation, Gululu dhuwala djalkiri:听welcome to the Yol艐u foundations.
Rebecca Conway听is Curator,听Ethnography, Macleay Collections,听Chau Chak Wing Museum. She co-curated the exhibition with Matt Poll,听Assistant Curator, Indigenous Heritage听and Repatriation, and representatives of听Milingimbi Art and Culture, Yurrwi Island,听Bula鈥檅ula Arts, Ramingining, and Bukularr艐gay听Mulka, Yirrkala Art Centre.
This article was first published in Issue 26 of Muse Magazine, November 2020.听