June 7, 2018 – September 30, 2018, PARIS.
"Ngaldjorlhbo | Mother of Everything | Mother of All Creation"
An exceptional exhibition dedicated to the art of women artists from the Aboriginal community of Maningrida, in Western Arnhem Land (Australia), Ngaldjorlhbo presents the multidisciplinary creations of these artists for the very first time in France, in Paris.
Showing the art of the women artists from the Aboriginal community of Maningrida, in Western Arnhem Land, this is the first exhibition focusing on their multi-disciplinary artistic creative process in Paris, France.
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Useful information :
Dates: June 7, 2018 – September 30, 2018
Opening: Wednesday, June 6 from 6 p.m.
Hours of operation :
- Thursday to Saturday, and by appointment
- Thursday – Friday: 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
- Saturday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Summer closure: August 3 – 29, 2018
Address :
New Angles space
8 Passage of the Great Deer
75002 Paris – France
Free admission
For any questions or to receive the media kit: info@idaia.com.au or info@idaia.fr
For the catalog: click here
Public and educational events:
Program of public and educational events proposed around the exhibition: click here
DETAILED DESCRIPTION :
Three major artists collaborated in curating the exhibition: the two sisters Deborah Wurrkidj and Jennifer Wurrkidj, as well as their aunt Susan Marawarr, all three accomplished artists and important personalities within their community. The curatorial choices revolve around an original concept, attached to the central spiritual figure of Ngaldjorlhbo, the Mother of All Creation, unveiled by the artists on the occasion of this exhibition project.
Ngaldjorlhbo (*) is a powerful woman who, for the Aboriginal people of Western Arnhem Land, created the spiritual and tangible world. By creating the land, the environment, she endowed the Kuninjku people with the faculties of artistic creation and of sharing these with future generations, through the transmission of their culture. It is Ngaldjorlhbo who gives the women whose works are exhibited here the cultural knowledge and the deep ties that unite them to their country and to ancestral spirits – ties that forge their identity and shape their transversal artistic practice.
Ngaldjorlhbo reflects the incredible adaptability of these artists and pays tribute to their multidisciplinary approach in the creation, visualization, materialization and transmission of their culture. The exhibition brings together a selection of around 40 works produced in a variety of media , including bark paintings, textile linocuts and serigraphs, engravings, coffin trunks, and even sculptures of mimih spirits. These astonishing works testify to the intimate relationship, both physical and spiritual, that women have with their country, while inviting the public gaze to a questioning, through a journey in Western Arnhem Land to discover their (s) H/sacred story(s).
The exhibition also examines how traditional motifs, forms and media cohabit with other, contemporary, more innovative and daring ones; how they influence each other and ultimately open up countless opportunities for sharing ancestral stories, reflecting on the notion and sense of identity, and raising awareness about the preservation of artists' culture and country.
Ngaldjorlhbo offers the European public a unique opportunity to discover the exceptional richness of the art of the women of Maningrida.
On the other hand, the art centers of Maningrida Arts & Culture and Bábbarra Women also today play a crucial supporting role in the social actions carried out by and for women in the Maningrida region. The members of Bábbarra Women advocate financial autonomy for themselves and for community members, or the establishment of better health services in Maningrida. They are also very actively involved in defending their land and protecting the environment.
Echoing the 2018 National NAIDOC Week theme " Because of her, we can!" which pays homage to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, this exceptional exhibition project features only works by women artists. This curatorial choice aims to respond to the problem of the low visibility currently granted to indigenous women artists from Australia in European institutions.
The exhibition opens its doors on June 7 to coincide with the third edition of the Australian Aboriginal Film Festival in Paris , whose program this year revolves around the theme "connection to country", approaching interdependence from several angles. between aboriginal populations and the land.
Organized by IDAIA, Maningrida Arts & Culture and Bábbarra Women's Art Centre, in partnership with New Angles, the exhibition runs until the end of September, and is complemented by a program of activities for the public, educational resources and a catalog of bilingual exhibition.
(*) Approximate pronunciation: NAL-DJOR-BO
Artists Jennifer, Phyllis, Deborah and Lennie - Photo Bábbarra Women's Center
Jennifer Wurrkdij painting a new design - Photo Bábbarra Women's Center
Artists Deborah Wurrkidj, Susan Marawarr and Jennifer Wurrkidj - Photo Ingrid Johanson, Bábbarra Women's Center
Jennifer Wurrkudj, "Kurrulk Kare (Going Underground)", fine art silkscreen on linen - Photo Bábbarra Women's Art Center