Baratjala

Born in c.1938 at Darrpirra, in the Northern Territory, Noŋgirrŋa Marawili resides and works in Yirrkala, northeast Arnhem Land, where she is presently one of the foremost artists championing the art of bark painting.

Inspired by the important Madarrpa clan site, Baratjala, Marawili encapsulates in these works of the same name the movement and energy of lightning. With lashings of lurid-pink tones pulsating against white and charcoal black, each work, through its undulating lines across the bark’s surface, captures the essence of this natural phenomenon. Marawili creates the bold magenta tone using ink from used printer cartridges, which would otherwise be discarded, blended with natural pigments.

With a trailblazing approach to her palette and the scale of her works, Marawili transforms and reimagines ingrained ideas of the bark-painting medium. Each painting is not only an expression of Country, but also of the artist’s individual account of the elemental forces of nature and their interaction across land and sky.

Gloria Strzelecki, Associate Curator of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art