First Nation Australia — Second Street Gallery

This message is for America and whoever else wants to learn about the Yolŋu people. Understand that we are the First Nations.The gamunuŋgu’ (white clay pigment) holds the land and shows that we are its keepers. It shows that we own this Country. We are not foreigners; we were the first nation before any development happened in Australia. This is my message, and it is very important. Knowledge of the stories and Law that shaped this land must be recognized.

– WANYUBI MARIKA, Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre

Gunybi Ganambarr
Darra, 2023, Bark Painting, 117 x 66 cm

In partnership with Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre and Agency Projects, Second Street Gallery is honored to present: First Nation Australia: Contemporary Artists from Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala. The exhibition is part of Charlottesville's 2024 Indigenous Art Takeover, which features world class Indigenous art from Australia and Oceania at the University of Virginia’s Fralin Museum of Art, the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, the Upper West Oval Room of the Rotunda, as well as Les Yeux du Monde Gallery.

First Nation Australia features the work of 12 artists from the Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre: Gunybi Ganambarr, Yinimala Gumana, Djambawa Marawili AM, Dhuwarrwarr Marika, Galuma Maymuru (dec), Barayuwa Munuŋgurr, Yimula Munuŋgurr, Garawan Waṉambi, Binygurr Wirrpanda, Ḻiyawaḏay Wirrpanda, Djirrirra Wunuŋmurra, and Moyurrurra Wunuŋmurra. The exhibition includes a selection of contemporary Aboriginal bark paintings, works on metal, and ḻarrakitj (memorial poles).

First Nation Australia illuminates the vibrant evolution of bark painting, a tradition fearlessly propelled into the present by the skilled hands and visionary minds of Buku-Larrŋgay artists. These remarkable artists continue the time-honored practice of ancient mark making, blending centuries old traditions with their infectious passion and creative vitality.

Amidst the scenic solitude of Northeast Arnhem Land, in a remote corner of Australia, Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre stands as a testament to Indigenous cultural resilience. Under their distinguished stewardship, one of the most potent painting movements of our time has found its voice and vision. Rooted Located in Yirrkala, a small Aboriginal community on the northeastern shores of Northern Territory and nearly 435 miles east of Darwin, Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre orchestrates a captivating symphony of Aboriginal art, harnessing the raw force of communal creativity and the resonating echo of an enduring heritage.

First Nation Australia opens at Second Street Gallery on First Friday, February 2, from 5:30 - 7:30PM. The gallery opening welcomes special guests, acclaimed artists and knowledge holders Dhukumul Waṉambi, Wurrandan Marawili, Gunybi Ganambarr, Barayuwa Munuŋgurr, and Ishmael Marika.

First Nation Australia: Contemporary Artists from Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala is organized by Second Street Gallery in partnership with the Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala and Agency Projects. The exhibition is generously sponsored by Pamela Friedman & Ronald Bailey, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.