Dhuwarrwarr Marika | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 (age 78–79) Yirrkala, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Other names | Banuminy |
| Known for | Contemporary Indigenous Australian art,bark painting,printmaking |
| Father | Mawalan 1 Marika |
| Relatives | Wandjuk Marika (brother), Banduk Marika (sister), Bayngul Marika (sister) Laklak Marika (sister) |
| Family | Marika Family |
Dhuwarrwarr Marika (born 1946), also known asBanuminy, a femalecontemporary Aboriginal artist. She is aYolngu artist and community leader fromEast Arnhem Land in theNorthern Territory of Australia. She belongs to theDhuwa moiety of theRirratjingu clan in the homeland ofYalangbara,[1] daughter ofMawalan Marika. Marika is an activebark painter, carver, mat maker, and printmaker.[2]
Dhuwarrwarr Marika, also known as Banuminy, was born in 1946 inYirrkala, in the East Arnhem Land area of the Northern Territory. She is a member of the Rirratjingu, Miliwurrwurr group and their language isDhangu. She is part of the Dhuwa moiety.[3] Dhuwarrwarr Marika is the daughter of Mawalan Marika, who was the leader of the Rirratjingu people, one of the contributors to theYirrkala bark petitions, and the founder of the Marika artistic dynasty.[2] Her siblings areWandjuk Marika (brother),Banduk Marika (sister), Bayngul, and Laklak.[4] Dhuwarrwarr learnt how to paint from her father, which was unconventional at the time. She learned the art ofbasketry from her mother and aunt. Her father allowed for her to help him with his painting towards the end of his life, when his health was slowly deteriorating.[5] After consultation with his sons, brothers, and other community elders, Dhuwarrwarr was authorised to paint alongside her father, including the painting of sacred designs. After the death of her father, she took a break from painting and when she expressed interest in continuing, she requested permission from her brothers once again.[2]
She is believed by many (includingHoward Morphy and herself) to be the first Yolngu woman to be given permission to paint sacred designs on her own.[citation needed]
After graduating from school, Marika worked as a nurse in Yirrkala, Darwin and Sydney before returning home and developing her artistic skills.[6] Her earliest recorded paintings were completed in the 1970s.[6]
Over time, she has become more active in bark painting, carving, mat making, and printmaking. Her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions around the world from the 1980s onwards, including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. She has also exhibited work in one solo exhibition, which sold out in a matter of five minutes, titled “Milngurr - Sacred Spring” at the Vivien Anderson Gallery in Melbourne in 2008.[2]
In 1999, together with sistersGaymala andGulumbu Yunupingu, Marika was engaged to paint a largefilm set for the filmYolngu Boy, based on the historicYirrkala Church Panels.[7]
Marika has producedmurals for community buildings at Yirrkala, forDarwin Airport, theBatchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, and theAtherton School inQueensland.[6]
Her artistic style combines Rirratjingu sacred designs from her father with more contemporary elements.[5] The mediums that she often uses include earth pigments onstringybark, earth pigments on stringybark hollow poles,pandanus and natural dyes, earth pigments onnative hibiscus, earth pigments onironwood, and print making.[8]
She has created numerous prints at the Yirrkala Print Space at theBuku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre. At the Yirrkala Print Space,[9] Marika works alongside other female artists. She considers her artwork as a means of passing her culture to the next generations and a way of sharing her culture with the outside world.[6]
Marika is an executive member and women's council representative for theNorthern Land Council.[6] Marika and other members of her family, who were passionate advocates for Indigenous rights, became involved in theGove Land Rights Case of 1971.[5] This case eventually led to the passing of the firstland rights legislation in Australia.[10]
As a senior statesperson for her people, Marika has participated in numerous local and national committees. In 1993, she was invited to Europe as a speaker for the opening of the international travelling exhibitionAratjara - Art of the First Australians.[11]
Marika's work is featured in major public collections across the world, including:
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