Friends had strongly recommended visiting the current exhibition of Aboriginal art at the Art Gallery of NSW. It is an exhibition of the art of the Yolŋu People from Northern Australia. It focuses on art from the 1940’s to present from the community of Yirrkala in the East Arnhem Region of the Northern Territory.
I met Sue at the Art Gallery and we had a most interesting time viewing the art.
Most of the art is painted on large sheets of bark using natural pigments. And the exhibition notes talk about the concept of miny’tji. This is a good summary from Google AI –
Miny’tji refers to the sacred clan designs of the Yolŋu people of northern Australia, which are a fundamental aspect of their identity, law, and connection to ancestral lands. These designs are not merely decorative; they are a sacred inheritance, often described as a spiritual power or essence, and are expressed through body painting, ceremonial objects, and particularly through paintings on eucalyptus bark.
The exhibition has a large number of miny’tji’s from the different clans of the Yolŋu People.
Some of the art has an amazing level of detail with hidden objects.
One room had a modern representation of Yolŋu art that was displayed using multiple projectors.
And some more art featuring miny’tji’s –
After visiting the exhibition, I joined Sue fora walk through the Botanic Gardens to see some of the Spring flowers.
