‘Yolŋu Power: The Art Of Yirrkala’ Celebrates Artistic Practice In Arnhem Land

The artistic practice and culture of the Aboriginal artists living in Yirrkala, Arnhem Land is the star of the Art Gallery of NSW’s latest blockbuster exhibition Yolŋu Power: The art of Yirrkala, showcasing decades of artwork and representing thousands of years more.

Presented in collaboration with the Aboriginal-owned Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre in Yirrkala, over 300 works from this small group of internationally renowned artists are now on display at the Art Gallery’s Naala Badu, with the kinds of works ranging from bark paintings to metalwork and an installation in the Nelson Packard Tank.

Cara Pinchbeck, who’s the exhibition curator and Head of First Nations Art at the Gallery, says that Yolŋu Power has been a long time coming. “We’ve always wanted to do a big show based on Yirrkala and its history,” she says. “We’ve spoken to the art centre there for many years, and eventually it was scheduled and shaped into the exhibition it is today.”

“It’s been so great to collaborate with the Yirrkala Art Centre, it’s an amazing body of staff who work there. It’s been interesting to get their take on how they think their history should be presented along with my personal opinion as a curator, so it’s been a really fantastic project to bring all these incredible works together for everyone to see and hopefully enjoy over the next three months!”

The history of Yolŋu Power and Yirrkala

Ever since she started working as a curator, Cara has been familiar with the phenomenal work of the artists in Yirrkala. After having worked on a variety of smaller projects with them, the ability to bring their huge body of work to the Art Gallery is one that she relishes.

“I hope what the exhibition does is really show people what the practice of art in a small community full of artists is like over a certain period of time,” Cara says. “I think often people have a perception of what Aboriginal art from Arnhem Land is, and I hope this exhibition presents those works that they may expect to see, but also potentially opens their eyes to other artists doing incredible things.”

There’s no single kind of artistic practice on display in Yolŋu Power. With vibrant bark paintings, wood carvings and statues made with metal recovered from Country on display, the depth of Indigenous artistic practice from this community of creatives is given the space it deserves in the Art Gallery of NSW.

That extends to the display in the Nelson Packard Tank, called Rarrirarri and developed by the Mulka Project, which uses light and sound to create a highly immersive experience for the next four weeks. “It was a really interesting project for the Gallery to work on,” says Cara.

“Our lighting team was very involved, they 3D printed all of the light fittings that are attached to each of the 127 columns in the tank. It’s quite different from the exhibition, but it’s an amazing work and we hope people come to see it!”

“There’s something for everyone in this exhibition”

Bringing a blockbuster exhibition of Aboriginal works with Yolŋu Power to the Art Gallery is absolutely vital to Cara: “It’s really important that institutions like the Art Gallery do substantial projects based on First Nations art, and do that by working closely with Aboriginal owned and run art centres.

“You look at how important these organisations are within these communities when it comes to supporting artists and sending them around Australia and the world, and I think it’s something that’s integral to what all institutions in Australia can do. We should see it and present it in a way so that, hopefully, other Australians can connect to the works in some way.

“I think there’s something for everyone in this show, because that’s what the artists in Yirrkala have been doing since they first started making works in the 1930s. They’ve been making art to try and make people understand who they are, what their culture is and appreciate how we’re all connected as people.”

Yolŋu Power is a ticketed exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW until October 6th, 2025.