Yolŋu power: the art of Yirrkala showcases the art of 90 artists from the Yirrkala community at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. This exhibition emphasizes the significance of sacred designs, known as miny'tji, reflecting the Yolŋu people's connection to their land. The Yolŋu have used these artistic expressions as tools to advocate for their rights against external pressures from missionaries, mining, and fishing industries. Presenting their art to legal institutions, they establish their enduring cultural connection to the land and sea.
With the arrival of missionaries in the Northern Territory in the 1930s, and bauxite mining companies and commercial fishing in the decades that followed, Yolŋu people were forced to fight for their land, their sea and their way of life.
The power of Yolŋu culture was embedded in sacred patterns and designs called miny'tji. These designs are manifestations of a person's connection to the land, and have been handed down and reinforced across many millennia.
Depictions of sacred miny'tji now took on a new role, with Yolŋu presenting them to Australia's federal parliament and High Court as documents to prove continuous and unbroken connection to place.
Yirrkala is Australia's most internationally acclaimed art community, featuring the work of 90 artists made in the past eight decades.
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