Details of Gulumbu Yunupingu 1
About
MEDIUM AND THEME
Material culture items
BIOGRAPHY
Gulumbu, the youngest sister of Galarrwuy (former Northern Land Council Chair and Australian of the Year) and Mandawuy Yunupinu (lead singer of Yothu Yindi and former Australian of the Year), lived as a child at Yirrkala and went to school in the old Mission house. She married Yirrkaka Church Panel artist Mutitjpuy Munungurr and had four children, including Milkaynu Munugurr, original yidaki (didjeridu) player for the band Yothu Yindi. Her father is the senour Gumatj man Mungurrawuy, married to Marurrnu, who comes from the ulpu clan.
She is an artist who works in many different media including weaving pandanus mats and baskets, painting on barks and Yidaki, collecting shells to make jewellry, strings for armbands and for headbands. SHe also studied as a Health Worker through Miwatji Health. SShe has great knowledge of bush medicine and plant uses. She was one of the four translators of the Bible into Gumatj over 26 years. She works closely with Galarrwuy Yunupinu at the Garma Festival, working to educate non-indigenous people about Yolnu life.
In 2000 her work was represented at World Expo in Hanover, Germany with an installation of many small barks depicting the seven sisters constellation.
She has also branched out into screenprints, having works featured in Darwin at the Northern Territory University Gallery, Alcaston Gallery in Melbourne, and at the 2004 Garma Festival Gapan Gallery, where her print sold out in the first day.
Following her First Prize in the Telstra Award 2004, her first solo show (a sell-out) at Alcaston Gallery and her invitation to be one of the eight indigenous artists to participate in the prestigious Quai de Branli Project in Paris, her work has become highly sought after. Subsequent exhibitions through Alcaston have all sold out. Her work is always more in demand than supply will satisfy.
In 2006 she was named Deadly Visual Artist of the Year. In 2008 she was commissioned to provide a public artwork for the newly built Hedley Bull Centre for World Politics at ANU. She has established a Traditional Healing Centre in North East Arnhemland which runs healing workshops.
Her personal life has been marred by tragedy with her only son and saughter dying in 2007 and another daughter wheelchair boung by an accident. But throughout these trials her open hearted compassion for others in distress has been her dominant trait. Whenever someone is in their last days it is common to see her comforting them to the end.
EXHIBITIONS
2008 Galaku Gallery, Darwin Festival, Botanical Gardens, Darwin, NT
2008 Gapan Gallery, Gulkila Garma site, North East Arnhem Land, NT
2008 25th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of the NT, Darwin, NT
2008 Melbourne Art Fair, represented by Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2007 'Power and Beauty-Indigenous Art Now', Heide MUseum of Modern Art, Melbourne, VIC. Curated by Judith Ryan.
2007 'Culture Warriors' - National Indigenous Art Triennial, 25th Anniversary of NGA, Curated by Brenda Croft. NGA, Canberra, ACT
2007 24th Telstra NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of the NT, Darwin, NT
2007 Togarth Contemporary Art Award (NT), Parliament House, Darwin, NT
2007 'Star Works' Gulumbu Yunupinu at the Depot Gallery, Sydney fro Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2006 'Bulayi - Small Gems' Suzanne O'Connell Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
2006 'Nokturne' 24 Hour Art, Darwin, NT
2006 Melbourne Art Fair, VIC
2006 'The Roving Eye' Gigantic Art Space, New York, USA
2006 'L'Esprit de la terre d'Arnhem, art Aborigene du Nord de l'Australie", Passage de Retz, Paris, France
2006 Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2005 Transformations - The Language of Craft, An International Survey of Craft, National Gallery of Australia
2005 'Y kumirri', Holmes a Court Gallery, Perth, WA
2005 22nd NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of the NT, Darwin, NT
2004 'Garak - The Universe' Gulumbu's first solo show, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2004 21st NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of the NT, Darwin, NT
2003 Larrakitj Installation, Garma Festival, NT
2003 20th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of the NT, Darwin, NT
2003 'Marwat', Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2003 'ARCO", Madrid, Spain
2003 Miami Art fair, Florida, USA
2002 Gapan Gallery, Garma Festival, NT
2002 'ARCO", Madrid, Spain
2001 Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2001 Yirrkala Prints, Northern territory University, NT
2000 The Seven Sisters Constellation - Installation of 60 Barks, Basic Needs Pavillion, World Expo, Hannover, Germany
COLLECTIONS
Batchelor College Collection
Art Gallery of South Australia
Kerry Stokes Collection
MAGNT
Gove Airport
National Gallery of Australia
Queensland Art Gallery
National Gallery of Victoria
Bibliography
Gong-Wapitja-Women and art from YirrkalaAboriginal studies PRess-Gillian Hutcherson South Australian Art Gallery publication 2003.
Culture Warriors - National Indigenous Art Triennial 2007 - Cat ISBN 9780642541338
Power and Beauty - Indigenous Art Now - ISBN 978 1 921330 03 2
2008 Ochre, Menzies Auction, Melbourne
2008 Etched in the sun Prints made by INdigenous artists in collaboration with Basil Hall & Printers
1997-2007 ANU, Canberra
Collection Highlights, National Gallery of Australia, Edited by Ron Radford, 2008
AWARDS
2004 NATSIAA First Prize
Commissioned to contribute to the interior of the Quai de Branly, Paris 2004-6
Finalist 2006 Tallis Foundation National Works on Paper
Commissioned to install public sculptural work in the new Hedley Bull centre for World Politics 2008
Artworks of Gulumbu Yunupingu 1
Sold
This artist currently has no artworks for sale, please view some recent sold works below.