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Barayuwa Mununggurr (born 1980) is a Yolngu artist known for his incredibly small, detailed line work and continuation of Yolngu culture.
Biography
[edit]Barayuwa Mununggurr was born in 1980 in Wandawuy Outstation, in Northern Arnhem Land around Caledon Bay in Yirrkala. He is a member of the Djapu clan, with a mother from the Munyuku clan. Mununggurr's aunt, Dula Ngurruwutthun, also from the Munyuku clan, was famously known for her ceremonial expertise and own artwork.<ref>Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre. “Barayuwa Munuŋgurr.” BUKU-LARRŊGAY MULKA CENTRE, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka, yirrkala.com/barayuwa-munungurr/. Accessed 6 May 2024./ref> Mununggurr is also the grandson of Wonggu Mununggurr, a Yolngu man who in the early 20th century participated in the massacre of 5 Japanese fisherman on Yolngu territory, prompting tension between the aboriginal people of Yirrkala and the Australian Parliament. These tensions, however, led Wonggu to create one of the first ever bark paintings in Northern Arnhem Land, beginning an artistic trend that many would follow. <ref>Stubbs, Will. “A Short History of Yolngu Activist Art.” Artlink, June 2016, pp. 18–25./ref> It may be inferred that with such a rich cultural and artistic background Mununggurr felt all the more compelled to create art himself.
Career
[edit]Mununggurr began working at the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre for over 20 years<ref>“Artist Voice: Barayuwa Mununggurr.” YouTube , Google LLC, 25 May 2020, https://youtube.com/ULzkqMj8iOo?si=3FsV2umza8sA7RvE. Accessed 6 May 2024./ref>, facilitating the work of other artists long before he became an artist himself. He was still able to hone his artistic skills, however, as he had ample experience doing touch-up work on the paintings of others.<ref>Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre. “Barayuwa Munuŋgurr.” BUKU-LARRŊGAY MULKA CENTRE, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka, yirrkala.com/barayuwa-munungurr/. Accessed 6 May 2024./ref> Despite creating other sacred objects like spear throwers, didgeridu, and clapsticks, Mununggurr is best known for his bark paintings, some of which were exhibited for the first time in 2007.<ref>Pinchbeck, Cara. “Barayuwa Munuŋgurr: MCA Australia.” Welcome to the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art Limited, www.mca.com.au/collection/artists/barayuwa-mununggurr/. Accessed 6 May 2024./ref> Much of his work is centered around his relationships with both his own clan, the Djapu, and his mother's clan, the Munyuku. Largely pulling from the Munyuku clan, many of Mununggurr's bark paintings include an eye-catching pattern, one exclusive to the Munyuku people and the story of their ancestral whale.<ref>Pinchbeck, Cara. “Barayuwa Munuŋgurr: MCA Australia.” Welcome to the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art Limited, www.mca.com.au/collection/artists/barayuwa-mununggurr/. Accessed 6 May 2024./ref> Yarrinya, Mununggurr's mother's homeland and the area where the story of the ancestral whale Mirinyungu came to be, is also the title of many of his works, including one from 2019. As a contributor to the exhibition Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala, he used his piece Yarrinya (2019) to depict the death of Mirinyungu, who was killed by his brothers the Munyuku spirit men. The specific design used in this artwork is meant to represent the bones of this ancestral whale, harnessing his power and importance.<ref>Mununggurr, Barayuwa, and Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre. “Yarrinya: Yarrinya - Kluge-Ruhe: Madayin.” Madayin, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, 13 June 2023, madayin.kluge-ruhe.org/experience/pieces/yarrinya-yarrinya-2/./ref> Mununggurr continues to work at the Buku art centre, and considers his work to be constantly changing.<ref>“Artist Voice: Barayuwa Mununggurr.” YouTube , Google LLC, 25 May 2020, https://youtube.com/ULzkqMj8iOo?si=3FsV2umza8sA7RvE. Accessed 6 May 2024./ref>
Exhibitions
[edit]Young Guns II, Annandale Galleries (2008) Primavera, MCA (2014) Living Waters, Monaco Oceanographic Institute (2016) Rambangi: Together as Equals, with Ruark Lewis, Northern Centre for Contemporary Art, Darwin (2015) Barayuwa Mununggurr, Outstation Gallery, Darwin (2015); Gapan Gallery, GARMA Festival (2013) Gadawulkwulk Means Shelter(with Ruark Lewis), Cross Art Projects, Sydney (2012) Arboreal, Macquarie University Art Gallery, Sydney (2011) Returning to Djakapurra – A Collection of Poles and Barks from Yirrkala, Redot Gallery, Singapore (2010) After Berndt, Indigenart, Mossenson Gallery, Perth (2009) New Generations: Yirrkala Artists, Creative Economy, Brisbane (2008) Galuku Gallery, Darwin Festival Print Exhibition, Darwin (2007)
References
[edit]“Artist Voice: Barayuwa Mununggurr.” YouTube , Google LLC, 25 May 2020, https://youtube.com/ULzkqMj8iOo?si=3FsV2umza8sA7RvE. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre. “Barayuwa Munuŋgurr.” BUKU-LARRŊGAY MULKA CENTRE, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka, yirrkala.com/barayuwa-munungurr/. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Mununggurr, Barayuwa, and Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre. “Yarrinya: Yarrinya - Kluge-Ruhe: Madayin.” Madayin, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, 13 June 2023, madayin.kluge-ruhe.org/experience/pieces/yarrinya-yarrinya-2/.
Pinchbeck, Cara. “Barayuwa Munuŋgurr: MCA Australia.” Welcome to the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art Limited, www.mca.com.au/collection/artists/barayuwa-mununggurr/. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Stubbs, Will. “A Short History of Yolngu Activist Art.” Artlink, June 2016, pp. 18–25.