Design and Art Australia Online

Kuninjku artist, Susan Marawarr, was born in 1967 at Maningrida in north-central Arnhem Land. She is the daughter of artists, Anchor Kulunba and Mary Marabamba (https://www.daao.org.au/bio/mary-baramba/personal_details/), and the sister of eminent bark painters James Iyuna and John Mawurndjul (https://www.daao.org.au/bio/john-mawurndjul/personal_details/). Marawarr is a skilled printmaker, sculptor, weaver and bark painter, known for her striking black and white palette. Her works have a graphic and optical effect, where her intricate patterns often intertwine and overlap. Common subjects include the djang (the Dreaming) of Wak Wak, Ngalyod (Rainbow Serpent) and yawkyawk (female water spirit), alongside the imagery of dilly bags, fish-traps, mats and baskets, which may also have symbolic dimension. Her work is represented by Maningrida Arts and Culture (painting and weaving) and Bábbarra Women’s Centre (hand-printed textiles) at Maningrida in Central Arnhem Land.

In 2000, Susan collaborated with Judy Watson [https://www.daao.org.au/bio/judy-watson-1/], a Waanyi artist, on Watson’s public art commission for Sydney International Airport forecourt, comprising fish fences and dilly bags cast in bronze. She then went on to tour the United States, in 2001, with the exhibition curated by Judy Watson titled Bush Colour: work on paper by women artists from Maningrida promoting the work and supervising bark painting workshops. As the name suggests, the exhibition, celebrated the strength and vibrancy of women’s art from the Maningrida region, revealing the artist’s knowledge and intimate connections to the surrounding bushlands, bush foods, plant and animal life, sacred sites, ancestor spirits and everyday objects. The exhibition held objects crafted and coloured from natural fibres of the Maningrida Region, including baskets, bags, fish traps and other woven articles.

During discussions at Maningrida Arts and Culture, Susan remarked, “I print with my land on my land.” This is a strong statement about her connection to country and her culture and the links that her art has going back into the land like the trailing roots of land. Along the Oenpelli road, Susan said, “this is my country through my father, also my brothers….we got too many country.”

Marawarr has been working with Bábbarra Designs since 2001. Over the last decade, Marawarr’s artworks has been presented by Maningrida Arts and Culture and within their collective shows at Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi in Melbourne, Annandale Galleries in Sydney, Nomad Art in Darwin and JGM in London. She has also featured in exhibitions at the Art Gallery of New South Wales [Crossing Country, 2004, http://caepr.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/Altman/Chapters/2004_CrossingCountry.pdf.], and work is held in the collections of Art Gallery of Western Australia, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Victoria and National Gallery of Australia. Susan has also featured as one of the senior artists, mentoring the junior artists, in a group exhibition, Báb-barra: Women’s Printing Culture at The Cross Art Projects (2017) [http://www.crossart.com.au/current-show].

Reference List:
Altman, Jon. “Brokering Kuninjku Art: Artists, Institutions and the Market.” In Crossing Country: The Alchemy of Western Arnhem Land Art. Sydney: Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2004. Exhibition catalogue.

Bábbarra Women’s Centre. “Susan Marawarr.” Bábbarra Women’s Centre. Last modified 2017. https://babbarra.com/artist/susan-marawarr/.

Maningrida Arts and Culture. “Susan Marawarr.” Maningrida Arts and Culture. Last modified 2017. https://maningrida.com/artist/susan-marawarr/.

Salmon, Fiona. Bush Colour: Works on paper by female artists from the Maningrida region. Curated by Judy

Watson. Darwin: Northern Territory University Gallery, 1999. Exhibition catalogue.

Watson, Judy. Bush Colour: Works on paper by female artists from the Maningrida region. Curated by Judy Watson. Darwin: Northern Territory University Gallery, 1999. Exhibition catalogue.

Writers:

emma_sheehan

Date written:

2017

Last updated:

2017