
This is from the song of the Brolga.
She is my clan’s maternal grandmother
She is dancing. And she sings this as her feet leave the ground.
She is flying from her nest to her destiny.
I am that bird. This is me.
I can fly
— Dhambit Mununggurr
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery is delighted to welcome visitors back to the gallery with an exhibition of new works by Yolngu artist, Dhambit Mununggurr. After receiving widespread acclaim for her immersive installation work, Can we all have a happy life?, at the 2020 NGV Triennial, Dhambit was a finalist in the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the winner of the Telstra Bark Painting Award at the NATSIA Awards at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin in the following year.
Following a car accident in 2007, which left her with life threatening injuries, Dhambit courageously overcame restrictions on her movement and speech to create a distinct and dynamic practice. Durrk - I can fly at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery continues the artist’s foray into the colour blue, a hue that has become the dominant palette for her larger works since 2019.
Dhambit is the daughter of two winners of the First Prize in the NATSIA Awards: Mutitjpuy Mununggurr and Gulumbu Yunupingu. Her grandfathers are Wonggu and Munggurrawuy who themselves are celebrated leaders and artists. She finds acceptance within her community and the art market as an innovator with a deep understanding of Yolngu law and the spiritual forces of her Yolngu country. Dhambit’s work does not mimic others. She presents a fresh perspective in Yolngu designs, creating art made for a higher purpose.










Painting with Marwat (traditional Yolŋu hairbrush) using her non-preferred left hand, Dhambit Munuŋgurr’s distinct brushstroke and vivid palette of cobalt blues echo depictions of the sky and sea. Her compelling juxtaposition of contemporary materials and traditional stories construct an unexpected signature style. Munuŋgurr introduced non-traditional colours to her work when she started mixing ochre with acrylic paint in an effort to overcome the difficulty of grinding ochre by hand which became beyond her capability following a car accident in 2007. In doing so, she has defined her practice by the vibrancy of colour and powerful spontaneity of her mark making, to create strident, dazzling artworks.

Established in Sydney by influential Australian art dealer and gallerist Roslyn Oxley and her husband Tony Oxley in 1982, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery is one of Australia’s leading commercial galleries.

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