The Community of Maningrida in Central West Arnhem Land has long been home to a rich and vibrant cultural heritage, with a particular strength in the tradition of weaving. For generations, Burarra people have been creating beautiful and intricate anguchechiya (fish trap), Burlupurr (bathi or dilly bags), Bamagora (conical mat / women’s skirt used for ceremony) as well as many other woven items. Burarra women from Maningrida use natural materials such as gun-menama (pandanus leaves), burdaga (kurrajong), and various bark fibres to produce their work. In 2021, NGV through the Lisa Fox Commissions Series commissioned one of the most impressive examples of fibre art undertaken, the largest woven sculpture ever produced in Australia, Mun-dirra (2023). Mun-dirra (2023) is a one hundred metre long, multi-panel artwork that invites audiences inside, using the woven form to tell a powerful story of matrilineal knowledge transference, and how Burarra people have lived sustainably with the land for generations.
Join NGV Curator, Michael Gentle, to learn about Mun-dirra, the Maningrida artists’ deep understanding of the natural world, defined by sustainability, and their knowledge of how to work with materials collected from Country.
Michael Gentle is Curator, First Nations Art, at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).