NORTHERN WATERS: ARTWORKS FROM MANINGRIDA, YIRRKALA & INJALAK

Short St Gallery is excited to bring you Northern Waters, featuring artworks from three of Arnhem Lands stellar and pervading art communities; Injalak, Maningrida and Yirrkala. The majesty of Arnhem Land’s environment is well known, from the rocky escarpments and freshwater ways of West Arnhem Land, through to the rivers and forests of the east, to the shorelines and islands on the south and east coasts. There are a variety of languages and dialects spoken across Arnhem Land however all clans in the region, share in the metaphorical and physical significance of water, which is intrinsic to life in Arnhem Land.

This reverence for water is no more apparent than in the symbolic and representational form it takes in the exquisite art produced in the region. Artists from Arnhem Land work in a myriad of ways, using natural pigments to create figurative imagery, patterned clan designs or often both. The results are elegant and powerful artworks that carry the full bearing of the artist’s ancestral presence. Northern Waters celebrates shared connections, to bring you a cross-section of beautiful art from three strong Arnhem Land communities.