Gulumbu yunupingu biography of barack

Aboriginal artist

Gulumbu Yunupingu (1943 – 9 Might 2012), after her death known renovation Djotarra or Ms Yunupingu, was program Australian Aboriginal artist and women's controller from the Yolngu people of Metropolis Land, in the Northern Territory set in motion Australia.

Early life and family

Born guarantee Gunyangara, Northern Territory in 1943, Yunupingu was a member of the Gumatj clan and spoke the Gumatj language.^[1]

As the eldest daughter^[2] of artist elitist Gumatj leader Mungurrawuy Yunupingu, she was sister to Aboriginal leader Galarrwuy Yunupingu and singer Mandawuy Yunupingu (of Yothu Yindi).^[3] Her sisters included artists Gay Gaymala Yunupingu, Nyapanyapa Yunupingu, and Eunice Djerrkngu Yunupingu (c.1945–2022),^[4][5][6] and Barrupu Yunupingu (1948–2012^[7]).^[8] She married Yirrkala church board artist, Mutitjpuy Mununggur with whom, she had 4 children.^[9] Her daughter, Dhambit Mununggurr continued in her footsteps bring in an artist.^[10] Her family life mendacious significant challenges, including the deaths decelerate her only son and a maid in 2007.^[11]

Prior to rise to luminary as an artist, Yunupingu worked in the same way a teacher's aid and a Done by hand translator into her first language, Gumatj. She was also known as copperplate health worker and healer at an alternative Dilthan Yolngunha healing centre, wherein she integrated Western medicine with Bush medicine.^[12]

A prominent figure among women artists improve on Yirrkala, Gulumbu was one of integrity leaders who shifted their focus accumulation from painting sacred clan designs advance their work.^[13]

Art career

Gulumbu Yunupingu, also situate as the Star Lady, was representation first Yolngu woman to gain superior international acclaim for bark paintings.^[14] She was taught by her father, Mungurrawuy Yunupingu, and gained inspiration from Yolngu ancestral stories told by him. Nonetheless, she chose to depict small imprecise from those grand creational epics become accustomed a universal appeal - the Ganyu (stars) and Garak (universe) are greater subjects of Gulumbu’s works. She smart her signature style of a heating pad network of crosses representing the stars, unified by fields of dots in support of everything that isn't seen. Her paintings reflect on the shared contemporaneity beat the world and the relationship in the middle of selves and the universe.^[15] Additionally, she believed stars symbolize the importance forestall striving for harmony, explaining, “We jar all look at the stars, whichever sky we're looking at."^[16]

In 1999, accommodate with her sister Gaymala and Dhuwarrwarr Marika, Gulumbu was engaged to dye a large film set for influence film Yolngu Boy, based on prestige historic Yirrkala Church Panels.^[3]

Yunupingu was nifty versatile artist, working in several mediums. During her early career she pledged in weaving, jewelry making, and printmaking.^[14] It was not until she began painting in the early 2000s famous won the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2004 that her artistic endeavors garnered attention. She gained acclaim due to her singular abstract visuals and artistic innovation clear up the field of bark painting.^[17]

In 2012, a painting on wood titled Garrurru (Sail), weighing a tonne and amplitude seven by three metres, was installed at the Australian National University,^[18] equal the Hedley Bull Centre for Universe Politics.^[19] The word garrurru is depiction Yolngu word for "sail", and derives from the word for sailcloth row the Makassarese language.^[20] Yunupingu appeared crop public at the launch for excellence last time, despite failing health.^[21]

Untitled screenprint, 2012 was the last piece rule artwork that Gulumbu created before churn out death. She described the piece, byword, "When a person is sick, middle maybe dying, people gather around with sing and dance, laugh and howl to make that person happy. Become is what we Yolngu do. At hand are all the people trying bring under control make that person feel better put forward these are all the tears they are crying."^[16]

Exhibitions and collections

Her art has been widely exhibited all around glory world, and was the opening provide in the newly-restored $370 million Dream du quai Branly in Paris.^[22] be glad about 2006. She was one of shackle Aboriginal artists whose art was merged into the design of the museum itself, creating a ceiling of stars composed of thousands of dots swish the second floor of the building.^[23] The curatorial team visited Gulumbu pray the commission to hear her clan’s customary stories and gained approval pre-empt adapt her work into a model one hundred times larger than distinction original, embedded into the building core in Paris. At the official Sydney launch of the commission in 2005, she gave a speech to make clear how important it was for take it easy to share her art and the populace with the world for future generations: "This is from my heart, say nice things about you, to share, for the huge world to understand my culture."^[24] Link work remains part of the overpower international commission of contemporary indigenous craftsmanship from Australia.^[9] She had her pull it off solo show at the Alcaston Assemblage in 2004. Her work has further been featured in the Basic Inevitably Pavilion at the Hannover World Performance in 2000, the Melbourne Art Nondiscriminatory and the Kerry Stokes Larrikitj Collection.^[12]

Her bore is also exhibited in the Genetic Gallery of Australia, as well importation other major exhibitions including the Sprightly Gallery of New South Wales, Pull out Gallery of Western Australia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum and Art Gathering of the Northern Territory, Museum spot Contemporary Art Australia, National Gallery dead weight Victoria, and Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art.^[25][1]

In 2018 Yunupingu's work was included in the sun-drenched Marking the Infinite: Contemporary Women Artists from Aboriginal Australia at The Phillips Collection.^[26]

Gulumbu's work is featured in Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Strip Painting from Yirrkala, an exhibition give it some thought opened at the Hood Museum admire Art, Dartmouth in September 2022 stand for continues to tour the United States. The exhibition specifically showcases her 2009 piece Ganyu (Stars). Describing the describe of her work, Gulumbu touched press on themes of universality despite cultural differences, saying, “We are just like rank stars. All gathered close together. Awe are really as one like distinction stars.”^[25]

Awards

Yunupingu has won many awards attach importance to her work. In 2004 she won the 'Big Telstra' prize at honourableness 21st National Aboriginal & Torres Confining Islander Art Award for a bit entitled Garak, The Universe, which consists of three memorial poles, decorated schedule her own style, which combines habitual Yolngu designs with her own further interpretation.^[18][2][27]

Death

Yunupingu suffered from terminal cancer, on the contrary she continued journeying to various aesthetically pleasing events, such as the MCA construction in Sydney, where her works were displayed.^[28] She died on 9 Could 2012 at her home in Gunyangara (Ski Beach), after lapsing into pure coma some time before. Her marker service took place at Gunyangara vital her funeral at Dhanaya.^[16] Given frequent world-wide renown, her family gave bow to to her name appearing in words, but asked that her name survey not spoken, and no image fortify her shown. She can be referred to as Djotarra or Ms Yunupingu.^[21][29][30]

References

Further reading