Landmark exhibition Yolngu power comes to the Art Gallery of NSW
The exhibition, Yolngu Power: the art of the Yirrkala, features almost 300 works by 98 Aboriginal artists connected to Yirrkala in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land.
The collection traces the history of art from the world-renowned community and showcases the continuation of and diversity within practice from the 1940s to today.
Coinciding with Yolngu Power, The Mulka Project is also premiering a major new commission in the Art Gallery's Nelson Packer Tank.
The first look has been given to Yalu, an immersive light and sound experience designed to bring the colours and songs of Yolngu country to the former wartime oil bunker underneath the gallery.
The exhibition opened today, June 21, and will run until October.
The Art Gallery of NSW said: 'The exhibition is presented in partnership with the Aboriginal-owned art centre, Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre located in Yirrkala.
'The art centre was established as an act of Yolngu self-determination in the 1970s, in the midst of the land rights movement.
'Decades earlier, artists at Yirrkala were among the first Indigenous Australians to employ art as a political tool, most notably through the Yirrkala Bark Petitions of 1963, which were sent to the Australian Parliament to assert Yolngu custodianship of Country.
'Yolngu people have painted sacred designs on the body and objects since time immemorial.
'Known as miny'tji these designs are not merely decorative, they are important patterns that denote the interconnection between Yolŋu people, law and Country.
'Through these visual languages, artists from Yirrkala have shared art as a means of cultural diplomacy — as a respectful assertion of power in its diverse forms, from sovereignty to influence, authority and control, to energy, strength and pride.'
NSW Arts Minister John Graham said the exhibition was an incredible opportunity for both NSW locals and tourists.
'This exhibition will be a rare opportunity in Sydney to experience the power and generosity of the artists of Yirrkala, one of Australia's most revered arts communities,' he said.
'I urge locals and visitors to make their way to the Art Gallery of New South Wales this winter for this exceptional exhibition that celebrates the artists of Yirrkala whose contribution to both Australian and international art, is profound.'
Art Gallery of NSW director Maud Page said she was 'immensely proud' of the gallery's history with the Yirrkala community.
'We are delighted to come together again to present our major winter exhibition, Yolngu power: the art of Yirrkala,' she said.
Yolngu power: the art of Yirrkala spotlights Yirrkala artists spanning multiple generations and art forms including bark paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture in both wood and metal, alongside video works and immersive digital installations.
Exhibition curator and Art Gallery of New South Wales head of First Nations, Cara Pinchbeck said: 'Yolngu power explores the distinct shifts in practice instigated by artists as a means of asserting power through art over time.
'This power takes diverse forms, from the power inherent in the sacred designs of miny'tji and the cultural inheritance of artists, to the transformation of natural and reclaimed materials into exceptional artworks and the sentience of Country as it is enlivened by seasonal change.'
Yolngu power: the art of Yirrkala will be on display at the Art Gallery of NSW, in the Ainsworth Family Gallery in Naala Badu from June 21 to October 6, 2025.
Tickets are now on sale alongside tickets for the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2025 exhibition.
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