NYAPANYAPA YUNUPIŊU

It is with great admiration and respect that Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery presents Journey of the Stars, an accumulative body of work by extraordinary Yolŋu artist NyapanyapaYunupiŋu. In this posthumous exhibition, her family and Buku LarrnggayArt Centre, together with Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, present over 20 uniqueworks on bark, board, paper and found Perspex, in what is Ms. Yunupiŋu’sfinal offering in her career as an artist.

Following a lifetime of art making, Ms. Yunupiŋu had an incredible career sharing her multi-faceted practice with the world within 12 soloexhibitions and over 30 group exhibitions. Her huge success culminatedin the moment eternal, a popularly and critically acclaimed survey show at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory(MAGNT), which remains the first and only solo exhibition of works by afemale Aboriginal artist at the institution.

She was also the recipient of several prestigious art prizes throughout hercareer. In 2017, she was a finalist in the Wynne Prize at the ArtGallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) and in 2021 she became the recipientof the award for ‘the best landscape painting of Australian scenery’with her bark painting Garak — night sky (2020). In2017, she was awarded the Bark Painting Award at the 34th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) atthe MAGNT. She was a finalist in this award in 2012 with her barkpainting Djulpan (2012). In 2008, she made history at the NATSIAA when she won the Wandjuk Marika 3D Memorial Award with a bark paintingand video work. The painting and video, entitled Gatapangawuy Dhawu – Buffalo Story, recounted an instance in 1975 where she was attacked by a water buffalonear her home in Arnhem Land. This presentation by Ms. Yunupiŋu becameone of the first emergences of video work as a medium at NATSIAA.

Please note that the family have authorised the use of Ms. N Yunupiŋu’s namein written form but request that it not be spoken aloud in the presenceof people from Arnhem Land or in the Miwatj region. Her spirit has along journey to go on to return to her origin point. Calling her namealoud could distract and delay her spirit’s return in a new form.