"This work is about paying homage to our First Nation Ancestors here in the south east corner of Australia. The symmetrical and asymmetrical lines reflects the intricate designs that were not only meticulously carved onto our shields, but these markings were also etched into the inner side of possum skin cloaks. These cloaks were not only to keep the wearer warm during winter, but were a huge part of an ancient traditional practice in telling and maintaining stories of the person that made his or her cloak. Each individual cloak was unique to that persons life.  At the corner section l have paid homage to William Barak, esteemed senior Wurundjeri Elder (circa 1830s - 1901). I have referenced some figures that he had painted around the turn of last century. His work is held in the Victorian Museum collection and are a record of the Wurundjeri people’s life before the incursion of the Europeans." - Ray Thomas A large, vibrant painted bas relief mural. The mural was created by local Indigenous artist, Ray Thomas (born Melbourne 1960, Gunnai, Brabrawooloong), and is an iconographic recognition of ancient lineage and celebrates a respect for people and country. Located at Northcote Civic Square, 189 High St, Northcote VIC 3070.

My name is Tammy Gilson and I am a descendant of Wadawurrung people on Mums side, Marlene Gilson and my dear Nan, Rita Fagan from the Dalton line of our apical ancestor, John Robinson. For that I pay my respects and acknowledge my ancestors and all Elders. In Wadawurrung wurru, meaning language, the wurru name of a cloak walert walert signifies the reclaiming of language that hasn’t been spoken fluently since colonisation. Wadawurrung kinkinbil people relied on possum fur to create cloaks to wear for warmth, ceremony, adornments and medicine. Possum fur was used widely amongst neighbouring First Peoples particularly from colder parts of Victoria given the harshness of climate and particularly in Gordon where the elevation is 650m above sea level. The walert walert denotes a continuum of cultural practice and identity, can be viewed as secret and sacred and today viewed as contemporised practice of history acknowledging transfer of knowledge, practice and kinship. My experience of possum skin cloak revival was in 2014 through Traditional Ceremony, Tanderrum, where I was chosen to make several cloaks to be worn by the Elders including my Mum. This is where I learnt technique and design elements that remain present and relevant to lived experience. My work is an example of how culture and connection gives purpose and embeds a beautiful sense of belonging. Each design panel holds a visual voice, a narrative that speaks to identity and kinship. Symbols and line work are found on old artefacts that indicate belonging to Wadawurrung people. The water marks and mountain patterns were passed on to me from Mum and her grandma. Continuing this practice is for future generations as the walert walert holds significant healing properties. Making them and sharing knowledge aims to strengthen our Culture and bring family together. There is nothing like a good yarn while sewing or weaving and this is what the Elders do, and my ancestors always did together, sitting around sharing their way and teaching. Possum skin cloak consisting of twenty four pelts, stitched together with thread. Cloak features Wadawurrung designs in red, orange, white and black ochre.possum skin cloak, wadawurrung, first peoples, culture, tammy gilson, identity, tradition, design, walert walert

My name is Tammy Gilson and I am a descendant of Wadawurrung people on Mums side, Marlene Gilson and my dear Nan, Rita Fagan from the Dalton line of our apical ancestor, John Robinson. For that I pay my respects and acknowledge my ancestors and all Elders. In Wadawurrung wurru, meaning language, the wurru name of a cloak walert walert signifies the reclaiming of language that hasn’t been spoken fluently since colonisation. Wadawurrung kinkinbil people relied on possum fur to create cloaks to wear for warmth, ceremony, adornments and medicine. Possum fur was used widely amongst neighbouring First Peoples particularly from colder parts of Victoria given the harshness of climate and particularly in Gordon where the elevation is 650m above sea level. The walert walert denotes a continuum of cultural practice and identity, can be viewed as secret and sacred and today viewed as contemporised practice of history acknowledging transfer of knowledge, practice and kinship. My experience of possum skin cloak revival was in 2014 through Traditional Ceremony, Tanderrum, where I was chosen to make several cloaks to be worn by the Elders including my Mum. This is where I learnt technique and design elements that remain present and relevant to lived experience. My work is an example of how culture and connection gives purpose and embeds a beautiful sense of belonging. Each design panel holds a visual voice, a narrative that speaks to identity and kinship. Symbols and line work are found on old artefacts that indicate belonging to Wadawurrung people. The water marks and mountain patterns were passed on to me from Mum and her grandma. Continuing this practice is for future generations as the walert walert holds significant healing properties. Making them and sharing knowledge aims to strengthen our Culture and bring family together. There is nothing like a good yarn while sewing or weaving and this is what the Elders do, and my ancestors always did together, sitting around sharing their way and teaching. 9144.1 - Digital colour film featuring Wadawurrung woman Tammy Gilson speaking about the walert walert (possum skins cloak) she made for the National Wool Museum Collection, and the cultural practice of making cloaks. Film is 7 minutes and 3 seconds in length. 9144.2 - Digital colour film featuring Wadawurrung woman Tammy Gilson speaking about the designs which feature on the walert walert she made for the National Wool Museum Collection. Film is 14 minutes in length.possum skin cloak, wadawurrung, first peoples, culture, tammy gilson, identity, tradition, design, walert walert

Maree Clarke is a multi-disciplinary artist from Mildura in northwest Victoria, living and working in Melbourne. Her continuing desire to affirm and reconnect with her cultural heritage makes her a pivotal figure in the reclamation of southeast Australian Aboriginal art practices, reviving elements of Aboriginal culture that were lost over the period of colonisation. The 'Men and Women in Mourning' series explores the traditional ceremonies of grief and mourning practices from Calrke's Country. It originates from her fascination with Kopi, a gypsum cap worn to express an individual’s mourning of a loved one or significant member of the clan. A Kopi can weigh up to 7kg and the length of time they are worn depends on the person’s closeness to the deceased. When the mourning period was over the Kopi would be placed on the person’s grave.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, mourning ceremony, maree clarke, cultural heritage

Maree Clarke is a multi-disciplinary artist from Mildura in northwest Victoria, living and working in Melbourne. Her continuing desire to affirm and reconnect with her cultural heritage makes her a pivotal figure in the reclamation of southeast Australian Aboriginal art practices, reviving elements of Aboriginal culture that were lost over the period of colonisation. The 'Men and Women in Mourning' series explores the traditional ceremonies of grief and mourning practices from Calrke's Country. It originates from her fascination with Kopi, a gypsum cap worn to express an individual’s mourning of a loved one or significant member of the clan. A Kopi can weigh up to 7kg and the length of time they are worn depends on the person’s closeness to the deceased. When the mourning period was over the Kopi would be placed on the person’s grave.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, mourning ceremony, maree clarke, cultural heritage

Maree Clarke is a multi-disciplinary artist from Mildura in northwest Victoria, living and working in Melbourne. Her continuing desire to affirm and reconnect with her cultural heritage makes her a pivotal figure in the reclamation of southeast Australian Aboriginal art practices, reviving elements of Aboriginal culture that were lost over the period of colonisation. The 'Men and Women in Mourning' series explores the traditional ceremonies of grief and mourning practices from Calrke's Country. It originates from her fascination with Kopi, a gypsum cap worn to express an individual’s mourning of a loved one or significant member of the clan. A Kopi can weigh up to 7kg and the length of time they are worn depends on the person’s closeness to the deceased. When the mourning period was over the Kopi would be placed on the person’s grave.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, mourning ceremony, maree clarke, cultural heritage

Maree Clarke is a multi-disciplinary artist from Mildura in northwest Victoria, living and working in Melbourne. Her continuing desire to affirm and reconnect with her cultural heritage makes her a pivotal figure in the reclamation of southeast Australian Aboriginal art practices, reviving elements of Aboriginal culture that were lost over the period of colonisation. The 'Men and Women in Mourning' series explores the traditional ceremonies of grief and mourning practices from Calrke's Country. It originates from her fascination with Kopi, a gypsum cap worn to express an individual’s mourning of a loved one or significant member of the clan. A Kopi can weigh up to 7kg and the length of time they are worn depends on the person’s closeness to the deceased. When the mourning period was over the Kopi would be placed on the person’s grave. stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, mourning ceremony, maree clarke, cultural heritage

Daniel Boyd’s practice often investigates complex or contrasting forces, such as the primitive and the modern, this world and the next, and traditional techniques fused with contemporary methods. He completed a Bachelor of Arts at the Australian National University School of Art and in 2012 he was artist-in-residence at the Natural History Museum in London. There he reflected on the Museums collection’s historic images concerning the First Fleet’s arrival in Australia and their tendency to obscure the original identity of any indigenous subjects. It was during this residency he researched and made the Up In Smoke Tour series of work that concerns this omission and the lives of Indigenous Australians following the bleak realities of colonialism. Using archival resin glue and watercolour on photocopied images to recast and reimagine dot-paintings, Boyd masks attempts to identify the image or narrative of his works. He reinterprets Aboriginal and Australian-European history through recasting artworks and icons and altering the familiar interpretation of materials, here using Museum specimen boxes that previously contained the bones of Aboriginal people.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, cultural identity, daniel boyd, painting, assemblage

James Tylor’s practice examines racial and cultural identity in Australian contemporary society and social history. He explores Australian cultural representation through his multi-racial heritage comprising Aboriginal, English, and Maori Australian ancestry. This interest is informed using these media in that era to document Indigenous Australian and Maori culture. Tylor reminds us of what has been removed from the view of the Australian landscape, and reflects on the limitations of the romantic landscape tradition itself - the tensions between Australian and Indigenous histories.Digital print on Hahnemühle paperstonnington contemporary art collection, landscape, cultural identity, post colonialism, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, mixed media, photography, james tylor

‘This is a soakage that has been around for a long time. Four ladies are collecting their water in coolamons. They have digging sticks with them from hunting and now they are getting water.’ This artwork was acquired as part of a project between City of Stonnington and World Vision.Epenarra is a remote indigenous community 220kms South East of Tennant Creek, Northern Territory.Framed artwork. Acrylic on canvas.There is a registration label on the back. 'Kwaty Nagenty' handwritten in texta on the canvas, registration label on the back. NOTE: two works cite the same Mossgreen catalogue number.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, painting, water, jessie akemarr beasley jr.

Michael Cook's Fake series is a visual essay in speculative history. Cook flips the conventional colonial narratives in his images that are tremendously playful at first glance but, on reflection, are deep interrogations of Australia's colonial history and its ongoing impacts on its First Peoples. Michael Cook is a Brisbane-based photomedia artist of Bidjara heritage. Cook’s photographs re-stage colonial-focused histories and re-imagine the contemporary reality of indigenous populations. Touching on the discriminatory nature of society, his images muddle racial and social roles, painting a picture of a societal structure reversed. stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, photography, cultural identity, michael cook, post colonialism

Artist and choreographer Amrita Hepi uses visual and verbal homophones to explore identity, memory, and structural spaces. The title of this work Aisle, Isle (I'll) plays on three words that sound identical but carry different meanings: a walkway (aisle), an island (isle), and a contraction of intent (I'll). Framed through this linguistic play, Aisle Isle (I'll) depicts the artist and her younger sister as a conceptual doppelgänger. Operating as a ‘human homophone,’ her sister’s presence is simultaneously familiar yet distinctly independent. Together they inhabit a stylised, fictionalised vignette captured against the tropical backdrop of their shared birthplace, Townsville. stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, photography, amrita hepi, sisters, homophone, doppelgänger, fictional, townsville, memory, cultural identity

Nyapanyapa Yunupingu is a senior Yolngu artist based in Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land. Yunupingu’s paintings and drawings are highly idiosyncratic because she often depicts personal observations, or merely ‘things she likes’. This is distinctive from many of those of her Yolngu peers who adhere to a stricter approach to the telling of ancestral stories such as dreaming narratives expressed through clan designs. This marks Yunupingu as one of the most striking and experimental visual artists in the region. This series of Djorra works come from a 2015 exhibition titled Lawarra Maypa, a Macassan term for ‘pages and pages’. They are exemplary of Yunupingu’s experimental approach, and of the prolific nature of her practice. The works are executed in materials found lying around the print workshop of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre where Yunupingu works, and include paper from a photoshoot, print paper, permanent markers, white pipe clay (a naturally occurring ochre in North East Arnhem Land), and gadayka (stringy bark) hollowed out by termites to form a larrakitj or ceremonial pole. The key motifs of Lawarra Maypa are Yunupingu and her sisters (the figures depicted in dresses) and laranni (bush apple trees). These are combined with mayilimiriw, linear and circular patterns and other non-sacred marks that are used to cover up sacred stories from uninitiated viewers.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, work on paper, nyapanyapa yunupingu, djorra, sisters, laranni, cultural identity

Nyapanyapa Yunupingu is a senior Yolngu artist based in Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land. Yunupingu’s paintings and drawings are highly idiosyncratic because she often depicts personal observations, or merely ‘things she likes’. This is distinctive from many of those of her Yolngu peers who adhere to a stricter approach to the telling of ancestral stories such as dreaming narratives expressed through clan designs. This marks Yunupingu as one of the most striking and experimental visual artists in the region. This series of Djorra works come from a 2015 exhibition titled Lawarra Maypa, a Macassan term for ‘pages and pages’. They are exemplary of Yunupingu’s experimental approach, and of the prolific nature of her practice. The works are executed in materials found lying around the print workshop of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre where Yunupingu works, and include paper from a photoshoot, print paper, permanent markers, white pipe clay (a naturally occurring ochre in North East Arnhem Land), and gadayka (stringy bark) hollowed out by termites to form a larrakitj or ceremonial pole. The key motifs of Lawarra Maypa are Yunupingu and her sisters (the figures depicted in dresses) and laranni (bush apple trees). These are combined with mayilimiriw, linear and circular patterns and other non-sacred marks that are used to cover up sacred stories from uninitiated viewers.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, work on paper, nyapanyapa yunupingu, djorra, sisters, laranni, cultural identity

Nyapanyapa Yunupingu is a senior Yolngu artist based in Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land. Yunupingu’s paintings and drawings are highly idiosyncratic because she often depicts personal observations, or merely ‘things she likes’. This is distinctive from many of those of her Yolngu peers who adhere to a stricter approach to the telling of ancestral stories such as dreaming narratives expressed through clan designs. This marks Yunupingu as one of the most striking and experimental visual artists in the region. This series of Djorra works come from a 2015 exhibition titled Lawarra Maypa, a Macassan term for ‘pages and pages’. They are exemplary of Yunupingu’s experimental approach, and of the prolific nature of her practice. The works are executed in materials found lying around the print workshop of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre where Yunupingu works, and include paper from a photoshoot, print paper, permanent markers, white pipe clay (a naturally occurring ochre in North East Arnhem Land), and gadayka (stringy bark) hollowed out by termites to form a larrakitj or ceremonial pole. The key motifs of Lawarra Maypa are Yunupingu and her sisters (the figures depicted in dresses) and laranni (bush apple trees). These are combined with mayilimiriw, linear and circular patterns and other non-sacred marks that are used to cover up sacred stories from uninitiated viewers.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, work on paper, nyapanyapa yunupingu, djorra, sisters, laranni, cultural identity

Nyapanyapa Yunupingu is a senior Yolngu artist based in Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land. Yunupingu’s paintings and drawings are highly idiosyncratic because she often depicts personal observations, or merely ‘things she likes’. This is distinctive from many of those of her Yolngu peers who adhere to a stricter approach to the telling of ancestral stories such as dreaming narratives expressed through clan designs. This marks Yunupingu as one of the most striking and experimental visual artists in the region. This series of Djorra works come from a 2015 exhibition titled Lawarra Maypa, a Macassan term for ‘pages and pages’. They are exemplary of Yunupingu’s experimental approach, and of the prolific nature of her practice. The works are executed in materials found lying around the print workshop of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre where Yunupingu works, and include paper from a photoshoot, print paper, permanent markers, white pipe clay (a naturally occurring ochre in North East Arnhem Land), and gadayka (stringy bark) hollowed out by termites to form a larrakitj or ceremonial pole. The key motifs of Lawarra Maypa are Yunupingu and her sisters (the figures depicted in dresses) and laranni (bush apple trees). These are combined with mayilimiriw, linear and circular patterns and other non-sacred marks that are used to cover up sacred stories from uninitiated viewers.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, work on paper, nyapanyapa yunupingu, djorra, sisters, laranni, cultural identity

Nyapanyapa Yunupingu is a senior Yolngu artist based in Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land. Yunupingu’s paintings and drawings are highly idiosyncratic because she often depicts personal observations, or merely ‘things she likes’. This is distinctive from many of those of her Yolngu peers who adhere to a stricter approach to the telling of ancestral stories such as dreaming narratives expressed through clan designs. This marks Yunupingu as one of the most striking and experimental visual artists in the region. This series of Djorra works come from a 2015 exhibition titled Lawarra Maypa, a Macassan term for ‘pages and pages’. They are exemplary of Yunupingu’s experimental approach, and of the prolific nature of her practice. The works are executed in materials found lying around the print workshop of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre where Yunupingu works, and include paper from a photoshoot, print paper, permanent markers, white pipe clay (a naturally occurring ochre in North East Arnhem Land), and gadayka (stringy bark) hollowed out by termites to form a larrakitj or ceremonial pole. The key motifs of Lawarra Maypa are Yunupingu and her sisters (the figures depicted in dresses) and laranni (bush apple trees). These are combined with mayilimiriw, linear and circular patterns and other non-sacred marks that are used to cover up sacred stories from uninitiated viewers.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, work on paper, nyapanyapa yunupingu, djorra, sisters, laranni, cultural identity

Nyapanyapa Yunupingu is a senior Yolngu artist based in Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land. Yunupingu’s paintings and drawings are highly idiosyncratic because she often depicts personal observations, or merely ‘things she likes’. This is distinctive from many of those of her Yolngu peers who adhere to a stricter approach to the telling of ancestral stories such as dreaming narratives expressed through clan designs. This marks Yunupingu as one of the most striking and experimental visual artists in the region. This series of Djorra works come from a 2015 exhibition titled Lawarra Maypa, a Macassan term for ‘pages and pages’. They are exemplary of Yunupingu’s experimental approach, and of the prolific nature of her practice. The works are executed in materials found lying around the print workshop of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre where Yunupingu works, and include paper from a photoshoot, print paper, permanent markers, white pipe clay (a naturally occurring ochre in North East Arnhem Land), and gadayka (stringy bark) hollowed out by termites to form a larrakitj or ceremonial pole. The key motifs of Lawarra Maypa are Yunupingu and her sisters (the figures depicted in dresses) and laranni (bush apple trees). These are combined with mayilimiriw, linear and circular patterns and other non-sacred marks that are used to cover up sacred stories from uninitiated viewers.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, work on paper, nyapanyapa yunupingu, djorra, sisters, laranni, cultural identity

This artwork is exemplar of Garawan Wanambi’s recognisable use of concentric and spiralling diamond shapes filled in with cross-hatching. Wanambi’s work is especially distinctive for his attention to colour. He mixes ochres to create pastel colours, like lemon and peach, thereby deviating from the more recognisable colour schemes of North East Arnhem Land palettes comprising black, white, red and yellow. Wanambi’s preference for paler, mixed colours combined with the white galpan clay create very subtly detailed surfaces in which designs appear to jump in and out of focus, demanding close and sustained attention. The designs on this bark represent a place in the river mouth near Raymangirr where freshwater springs bubble up beneath the saltwater. Garawan Wanambi is a Marrakulu clansman. His father, Munuparriwuy Wanambi, worked on the famous Yirrkala Church Panels that brought together the different Yolngu clan designs and stories by eight artists of the Dhuwa moiety, and eight artists from the Yirritja moiety. After his father's death in 1973, Garawan was brought up by a Marrangu leader, Yanggariny Wunungmurra, and adopted to the Marrangu clan. Through this connection, Garawan paints Marrangu designs, the counterpart of Marrakulu from the other side of Arnhem Bay.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, painting, river mouth, raymangirr, garawan wanambi

Nonggirrnga Marawili is a Madarrpa elder whose work is recognisable for its highly sophisticated use of line, crosshatched motifs and designs from both her ancestral clans as well as observations of the everyday. Marawili’s organic patterns reflect an ingrained and innate understanding of her culture, history and environment. Often imposing, her works are consistently innovative, confidently executed, and highly refined. Mundukul, or Lightning Snake, painted in natural ochres on bark, can be understood as ‘lightning being sworn across the landscape by the serpent, who resides in the same water as the rock which is driving sea spray into the air. The ‘nets’ of diamond shaped lines echo the classic miny’tji, clan designs of the saltwater estate of Yathikpa. In 2015 Marawili was awarded the Telstra Bark Painting Award at the prestigious Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, painting, nonggirrnga marawili, cultural identity, history, natural environment

Nawurapu Wunungmurra is the eldest son of the late Yaggarriny Wunungmurra, the first Aboriginal artist to have his copyright recognised in an Australian court. From an early age he was trained by his father and assisted him with this painting. Later, as his own spiritual authority increased, he painted in his own right. This pole depicts the sea at Garraparra, a coastal headland and bay area within Mungurru, or Blue Mud Bay. Garraparra has been rendered by the wavy design for Yirritja (deep saltwater) that has many states and connects with the sacred waters coming from the land estates by currents and tidal flow. Garraparra marks the spot of a sacred burial area for the Dhalwangu clan to which Wunungmurra belongs. Sacred songs and dance narrate the heroic adventures of two ancestral hunters who left the shores of Garraparra hunting for turtle. On their journey they passed sacred places and ancestral totems before they came to grief when their canoe capsized. The hunters’ bodies washed back to the shores of Garraparra with the currents and the tides, as the Wangupini, cloud rising from the north, followed with its rain and wind. In the songs, the terns (Gitkit) reel in the breeze around these statuesque clouds on the horizon, and this stylised rendition of clouds seen at the top of this work is the latest motif in Wunungmurra’s ouvre.Ceremonial hollow log poles Arnhem Land, Northern Territory The people of Central and Eastern Arnhem Land refer to themselves collectively as Yolngu, meaning human beings. The Yolngu traditionally use logs naturally hollowed out by termites in a funerary and ceremonial functions, principally as an ossuary. In an Australian contemporary art context however hollow log sculptures are purely memorial in function and made explicitly for public display. In Arnhem Land hollow logs are known as larrakitj; hollow logs known by other names are used in burial practices by a number of Aboriginal peoples in the north of Australia. The logs can also represent the deceased person, as the designs applied are the same as those painted on the body during the burial rites. All Yolngu clans belong to a moiety, one of two complementary halves of society: Dhuwa and Yirritja. All such affiliations play a part in Aboriginal artists' inherited right to paint an established set of designs belonging to their social group; this inheritance is, in fact, the artist's copyright over imagery.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, painting, nawurapu wunungmurra, garraparra, coastal, yirritja, saltwater, sacred burial, cultural heritage, cultural identity

Gunybi Ganambarr has built a reputation for his innovative techniques, incising and shaping barks and adding materials to traditional art forms. He attributes his confidence in using new materials to his twelve year stint as a part of a building team in remote homelands. Ganambarr primarily lives in his mother’s community at Gangan, which lies north-west of Blue Mud Bay in eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Ganambarr has absorbed the minutiae and spirituality of place; his paintings can be read as meditations on the specific tracts of land for which he is entitled to speak; in this case, a sacred expanse of water behind the Gangan outstation where this work was produced, referred to as Gulutji. Ganambarr’s designs recount the ancestral formation of the land, the beings that reside within its borders and
the seasonal events that nourish its ecosystem. His work exemplifies the confidence and cultural assertion of a new, experimental Yolngu art, while remaining firmly influenced by elders and senior artists. Ceremonial hollow log poles Arnhem Land, Northern Territory The people of Central and Eastern Arnhem Land refer to themselves collectively as Yolngu, meaning human beings. The Yolngu traditionally use logs naturally hollowed out by termites in a funerary and ceremonial functions, principally as an ossuary. In an Australian contemporary art context however hollow log sculptures are purely memorial in function and made explicitly for public display. In Arnhem Land hollow logs are known as larrakitj; hollow logs known by other names are used in burial practices by a number of Aboriginal peoples in the north of Australia. The logs can also represent the deceased person, as the designs applied are the same as those painted on the body during the burial rites. All Yolngu clans belong to a moiety, one of two complementary halves of society: Dhuwa and Yirritja. All such affiliations play a part in Aboriginal artists' inherited right to paint an established set of designs belonging to their social group; this inheritance is, in fact, the artist's copyright over imagery. stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, painting, gunybi ganambarr, natural environment, cultural heritage, cultural identity, cultural knowledge, landscape

Malaluba Gumana dedicates most of her artworks to portraying her mother Marratj Gurruwiwi’s Gälpu clan designs of dhatam (waterlilly), djari (rainbow), djaykun (filesnake) and wititj (olive python or rainbow serpent). Gumana demonstrates a very fine ‘marwat’, a cross hatching technique that utilises a fine brush of human hair, applied to bark and memorial poles. The title 'Garrimala' refers to a billabong close to Malaluba’s homeland of Gängan. Dominating this work are realistic representations of dhatam, the waterlily plant. The Gälpu clan miny’tji – the sacred clan design behind the lillies – represents djari (rainbows) and the power of the lightning within them. It also refers to the force of the storm created by the python Wititj, living amongst the waterlilies causing ripples and rainbows on the surface of the water. The dynamic diagonal lines symbolise trees that have been knocked down as Wititj moves from place to place. Ceremonial hollow log poles Arnhem Land, Northern Territory The people of Central and Eastern Arnhem Land refer to themselves collectively as Yolngu, meaning human beings. The Yolngu traditionally use logs naturally hollowed out by termites in a funerary and ceremonial functions, principally as an ossuary. In an Australian contemporary art context however hollow log sculptures are purely memorial in function and made explicitly for public display. In Arnhem Land hollow logs are known as larrakitj; hollow logs known by other names are used in burial practices by a number of Aboriginal peoples in the north of Australia. The logs can also represent the deceased person, as the designs applied are the same as those painted on the body during the burial rites. All Yolngu clans belong to a moiety, one of two complementary halves of society: Dhuwa and Yirritja. All such affiliations play a part in Aboriginal artists' inherited right to paint an established set of designs belonging to their social group; this inheritance is, in fact, the artist's copyright over imagery. stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, painting, malaluba gumana, waterlily, rainbow, filesnake, olive python, rainbow serpent, natural environment, cultural heritage

An esteemed elder and matriarch in her community, Loongkoonan was born around 1910 at Mount Anderson Station, Western Australia. Her artwork concerns - repeatedly and with uninterrupted focus - Nyikina country. These are the lands abutting the lower stretches of Mardoowarra, the majestic waterway that in 1837 would be renamed by European colonists the Fitzroy River. The First Peoples inhabitants of these lands call themselves Yimardoowarra—the people of the river—reflecting not just their habitation of this place, but their belonging to this country. During her travels across country, Loongkoonan collected bush tucker, plants used for medicinal purposes and spinifex wax in the wet season. More than a botanical reference, her ‘bush tucker’ renderings are composed as metaphors for a complex mapping of extensive, accumulated cultural knowledge. Loongkoonan explained, "Footwalking is the only proper way to learn about country, and remember it. That is how I got to know all of the bush tucker and medicine. … In my paintings I show all types of bush tucker – good tucker that we lived off in the bush. I paint Nyikina country the same way eagles see country when they are high up in the sky." It is this idiosyncratic representation of her country in aerial perspective that contributes to Loongkoonan’s individuality and significance as an artist. The landscape is depicted as a complex composition with multiple simultaneous viewpoints. These colourful, directly painted works are innovative, joyous and without apparent precedent. Loongkoonan began painting at the age of 95. Her work is held in a number of prominent Australian collections and was featured in the 2016 Adelaide Biennale.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, painting, loongkoonan, cultural identity, landscape, nyikina, bush tucker, cultural knowledge

An esteemed elder and matriarch in her community, Loongkoonan was born around 1910 at Mount Anderson Station, Western Australia. Her artwork concerns - repeatedly and with uninterrupted focus - Nyikina country. These are the lands abutting the lower stretches of Mardoowarra, the majestic waterway that in 1837 would be renamed by European colonists the Fitzroy River. The First Peoples inhabitants of these lands call themselves Yimardoowarra—the people of the river—reflecting not just their habitation of this place, but their belonging to this country. During her travels across country, Loongkoonan collected bush tucker, plants used for medicinal purposes and spinifex wax in the wet season. More than a botanical reference, her ‘bush tucker’ renderings are composed as metaphors for a complex mapping of extensive, accumulated cultural knowledge. Loongkoonan explained, "Footwalking is the only proper way to learn about country, and remember it. That is how I got to know all of the bush tucker and medicine. … In my paintings I show all types of bush tucker – good tucker that we lived off in the bush. I paint Nyikina country the same way eagles see country when they are high up in the sky." It is this idiosyncratic representation of her country in aerial perspective that contributes to Loongkoonan’s individuality and significance as an artist. The landscape is depicted as a complex composition with multiple simultaneous viewpoints. These colourful, directly painted works are innovative, joyous and without apparent precedent. Loongkoonan began painting at the age of 95. Her work is held in a number of prominent Australian collections and was featured in the 2016 Adelaide Biennale.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, painting, loongkoonan, cultural heritage, cultural knowledge, nyikina, bush tucker, natural environment

Maree Clarke is a multi-disciplinary artist from Mildura in northwest Victoria, living and working in Melbourne. Her continuing desire to affirm and reconnect with her cultural heritage makes her a pivotal figure in the reclamation of southeast Australian Aboriginal art practices, reviving elements of Aboriginal culture that were lost over the period of colonisation. In addition to modern genres including sculpture, multimedia and photography, Clarke’s expansive practice also encompasses contemporary forms of traditional practices such as possum skin cloaks, kangaroo teeth necklaces, and string headbands adorned with kangaroo teeth and echidna quills.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, cultural identity, cultural heritage, post colonialism, maree clarke, mixed media

Christian Thompson’s work reflects on issues of identity, cultural hybridity, kinship, memory and history. In 2010 he became the Inaugural Charlie Perkins Scholar and the first Aboriginal Australian artist to be admitted to Oxford University where he completed a Doctorate of Philosophy (Fine Art) at Trinity College. Thompson uses humour and playful subterfuge to subvert and critique throughout his multidisciplinary practice including sculpture, photography, video, performance and sound. These arresting and carefully orchestrated images are of the artist dressed in stylised clothing and handmade headdresses of Australian flora. While resonating with poetic and timeless beauty, the series Australian Graffiti contrasts Australia’s fascination with native flora with ideologies that correlate Aboriginal people with flora and fauna, not humanity.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, cultural identity, photography, memory, history, kinship, christian thompson