03 Sep Urapunga Arts Exhibition
On Friday, 3 September 2021 over fifty people gathered at the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre, Katherine NT, for the official opening of the Urapunga Arts exhibition.
The artists were honoured to have their families there to celebrate the opening, with over twenty people attending from Urapunga, supported by the Northern Territory Government, Chief Minister and Cabinet – Big Rivers Region.
Urapunga is a small Aboriginal community nestled between the Roper and Wilton Rivers, below the southern border of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The Ngalakgan People have lived on and cared for the area, including Urapunga, since time immemorial. Their custodianship is present in the landscape, burial caves and rock art shelters, the cultivated Country and living descendants spread between Ngukurr, Urapunga and beyond.
The community was initially established to service the cattle industry and is now rightfully owned by traditional custodians and home to approximately 180 people. Artists in Urapunga have maintained a strong connection to art and storytelling, building on generations of knowledge with contemporary techniques, colours and styles. Painting, weaving and carving make up most of the art practice at Urapunga, while some of the younger generations are beginning to explore textile and jewellery practices.
The artists draw their inspiration from the living Country surrounding Urapunga. The monsoonal savanna, with golden escarpments and grassy plains, provides fertile grounds for wallabies, bush turkey and plains kangaroo to thrive, while the pandanus-lined rivers and billabongs are habitat to a wide variety of fish, turtles, waterlilies, and crocodiles. This liveliness is reflected in the themes, colours and materials presented, showcasing Urapunga’s unique interpretations of Country and culture.
ARTISTS PROFILE
Margaret Duncan
(Kriol): “Mi Margaret Duncan. Main blekbala neim im Bongyi, from main Amuri. Det neim bin gibit la mi from main dedi en mami. Main mami Millwarparra (kangaroo people) from Ropa ba, Yurapanji en Ngukurr. Im langgus Ngalakgan en main dedi im Ritharrŋu from Anem len.
Ai bin len peinting from main sista, braja, mami en dedi bat ai bin leigim main second eldest sista peinting stail en hau imbin dum kabin. En ai bin len hau bla dum den. Bat ai bin stop dumbat det peinting dumaji ai bin busy werkin la titja. Wen ai bin ged married en abum main 4 biginini, wan of main biginini bin abum cerebral palsy. That’s wen ai bin gubek en jinggabat ba dumbat peinting. Bicos ai bin askim pipul ba gibit mi break bla maindiyim, main dota, speshili main sista en braja. En alabat bin dali mi “nomo melabat garra gu hanting”. Wal la kemp ai bin la jidan na en ai bin baiyim main kenbis, main peint. En ai yustu meigim laidan det lilgel, main speshil wan lilgel, garra cerebral palsy, meigim laidan en ai bin gibit im peipa en imbin dumbat peinting du. Wal from deya ai bin stat dumbat peinting bla ola pleis weya ai bin jinggabat en ai yustu imagine mijal mi insaid la det peinting, insaid la det kantri.
En den ai bin kip goin, dumbat peinting. Dunja na imbin get me out of main stress. Ai bin luk det Kantri la det peinting na en im bin meigim mi fil gud, meigim mi stop stresingat bla gu at. Or being angry bla alabat“
(English): “I’m Margaret Duncan. My Aboriginal name is Bongyi from my father’s father. That name was given to me from my father and mother. My mother is Millwarparra (kangaroo people) from Roper Bar, Urapunga and Ngukurr area, her language is Ngalakgan and my dad is Ritharrŋu from North-east Arnhem Land.
I learnt painting from my sisters, brothers, mother and father but I liked my second eldest sister’s painting style and how she did carving. And I learnt how to do it then. But I stopped doing painting for because I got too busy working as a teacher. When I got married and had my four children, one of my children had cerebral palsy. That’s when I went back and started thinking about painting again. Because I used to ask people to give me a break caring for my daughter, especially my sisters and brothers. But they would tell me “No we have to go hunting”. Well, I had to stay home then and so I bought my canvas, my paint. And I used to make her lie down, the little girl, my special little girl with cerebral palsy, make her lie down and I’d give her paper and she would do painting too. Well from there I started painting all the places I was thinking about and I used to imagine myself inside that painting, inside that Country.
And I kept going then, painting. That’s how I got out of my depression. I’d look at that Country in the painting and it would make me feel good, make me stop stressing about going out. Or being angry with them.“
This is Margaret’s first time exhibiting with her home group. Previously Margaret worked at Mimi Arts. Her first painting was nominated for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. In 2015 Margaret was named an AMP Tomorrow Maker award for her service to the community.
ARTISTS PROFILE
Rhonda Duncan
(Kriol): “Mi Rhonda Duncan, main blekbala neim imin Brukngin, main skin imin Gamanyjan. Main mami imin Millwarparra ledi en im langgus im Ngalakgan. Main dedi imin Ritharrŋu from Anem len. Mi leigim peintimbat det lend en ola enimul, bardbardmob. Wen yu luk det Kantri imin rili open, yu gin gajim ola ebrijing from det lend. Bat mela garra maindim brabli du det kantri, luk afta det pleis, det riba, bilabong, ebri lil ting bla det len, main mami kantri. Ola dismob pleis weya wi bin peint remind melabat bla mela olpipul en yu gin filim ba alabat spirit. Wen yu gu ja yu gin filim alabat ja watching wannim yu dumbat. Yu gin abum det speshil ting na insaid la yu, det filim, grieving.
Wen ai bin yanggel, melabat yustu gu at garra main mami en dedi bat ai nomo bin wandim dumbat at. Ai yustu luk main mami en dedi bi atis, main babamob du. Wan dei ai bin askim alabat ba titjim mi bat alabat bin tok “na mela nomo wandim titjim yu, lenim mijal”. Afta det ai bin stat drowim, kabin, peintimbat, dum main oun wei.“
(English): “I’m Rhonda Duncan, my Aboriginal name is Brukgin, my skin is Gamanyjan. My mother is a Millwarparra woman and her language is Ngalakgan. My father is Ritharrŋu from north-east Arnhem Land. I like to paint the land and all the animals, birds. When you look at Country it’s really open, you can get anything you need from that land. But we have to take proper care of that Country, look after that place, the river, billabong, every little thing in that land, my mother’s Country. All these places where we’ve painted reminds us of our ancestors and you can feel their spirit. When you go there you can feel them there watching what you’re doing. You can have that special thing inside you, that feeling, a sort of grieving.
When I was young we used to go out with mum and dad but I never was bothered to be an artist. I used to see my mum and dad be artists, my sisters and brothers too. One day I asked all my brothers and sisters to teach me but they all growled ‘no we don’t want to teach you, learn your own way’. After that I started drawing, carving, painting, doing my own style.“
These are Rhonda’s first exhibited works. Over the past two years, Rhonda has been developing her own unique style, experimenting with different techniques, colours and mediums. Her love of birds and Country is reflected in the artwork exhibited.
ARTISTS PROFILE
Hazel Ponto
Hazel Ponto is a skilled weaver, learning from olgamen in Numbulwar how to dye and weave baskets from pandanus, rope and palm leaf. Hazel’s Aboriginal name is Numbirrbirr. Her dreaming is Garndalpburru, the female plains kangaroo.
NEXT STEPS
This was the first exhibition for Urapunga Arts, an emerging arts enterprise supported by not-for-profit organisation Circulanation. Together their goal is to create a sustainable art and cultural enterprise, share and celebrate culture, and provide economic prosperity for future generations.
Following the exhibition’s success, Circulanation is working with Urapunga Arts to incorporate an association under ORIC formally. Urapunga Arts Association will primarily benefit the Urapunga community through:
• Employment and Training
• Women’s Economic Security
• Arts and Cultural development
• Cultural Tourism
• Sustainable Enterprise Development
