An exhibition that comprises suspensions of hand-printed fabrics through which the Australian Aboriginal artists pay homage to their ancestral lands and the sacred stories of their peoples will begin at the Indian Museum on Thursday.
The Australian consulate-general in the city, in collaboration with the Indian Museum, is organising Jarracharra: Dry Season Wind, which will showcase works from the Bàbbarra Women’s Centre.
It will have a collection of textile works by 20 artists from Maningrida in Arnhem Land in the north of Australia.
The exhibition will continue till January 23. “I am delighted to present this magnificent exhibition of Australian Aboriginal textile art to the Indian public,” said Rowan Ainsworth, Australian consul-general, Kolkata.
Print-making is a modern medium, introduced in Arnhem Land in the 1970s. Working with textiles has allowed the artists to explore contemporary approaches to convey traditional themes.
The fabrics on display at the Indian Museum Sourced by The Telegraph
The women artists at the Bàbbarra centre, in Maningrida, 500km east of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory, draw constant inspiration from their country and each fabric tells a different story. Maningrida is home to 80 clan groups, many of who still live in their ancestral homelands. It is one of the most linguistically diverse communities in the world.
The name “Maningrida” is derived from mane djang karirra, meaning ‘the place where the ancestor spirit changed shape’ in the Ndjébbana language.
Today, Bábbarra supports more than 25 artists and has produced 80 screen designs. The screens range from one colour to four colour designs and reflect imagery from a diverse range of Arnhem Land country and cultures. “Jarracharra” carries a message of cultural diversity as a factor in reconciliation between people.