About

'Yirrkala Drawings' is the first major exhibition of a group of crayon drawings on brown paper by senior Aboriginal leaders and bark painters from Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem Land; 365 drawings were produced in 1946–47 with materials provided by young anthropologists Ronald M and Catherine H Berndt. These brilliant, exuberant drawings — 81 of which are included in the exhibition — express the intricacies of Yolngu culture, clan relationships and connection to country, in dynamic lines infilled with rich colour.

Developed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in conjunction with Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre at Yirrkala and the Berndt Museum at the University of Western Australia.