Galuka bathi (Coconut basket)
1993
Medium
synthetic polymer paint on galuka (coconut), gunga (pandanus), natural dyes, ludhaludha (shells)
Measurements
63.9 × 14.1 × 13.0 cm (variable)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased through The Art Foundation of Victoria with the assistance of the Alcoa Foundation, Governor, 1994
© Mary Muyungu, courtesy of Elcho Island Arts
Gallery location
Gallery 1
Ground Level, NGV Australia
About this work
Mary Muyungu was born around 1953 and belongs to the Gälpu bäpurru (clan) of the Dhuwa moiety. Like many Yolŋu women, she adapts traditional weaving techniques using available contemporary materials, devising a completely new visual language that is rooted in kinship systems while also being responsive to the shifting textures of the environment. Coconut trees were introduced by missionaries to Galiwin’ku/Elcho Island at the turn of the nineteenth century, acting as a supplement to traditional Yolŋu foods. Here Muyungu originates a new form of weaving in which the sculptural form of the coconut is painted and adorned with shells.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Elcho Island, Northern Territory
Accession Number
O.140-1994
Department
First Nations Australia
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation
Physical description
Coconut basket