Women with Clever Hands

30 March — 9 June 2012

Women with Clever Hands: Gapuwiyak Miyalkurruwurr Gong Djambatjmala is an exhibition of the fibre work made by women from Gapuwiyak in Arnhem Land. Gapuwiyak (Lake Evella) is an inland community on the Gove peninsula established in 1969, situated on the northern shore of a small body of water, Lake Evella.

Curated by Dr Louise Hamby, with assistance from Lucy Wanapuyngu, Women with Clever Hands comes to Object Gallery, taking over the Main Gallery and the Project Space, from the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery.

Women with Clever Hands provides a representative view of a variety of fibre works being produced in the community from natural materials including baskets, bags, mats, sculptural figures and items worn on the body. The 130 works in the exhibition have been produced and collected over the past fifteen years. They not only represent the styles of artists from this community but also reveal much about the social and cultural life of the artists. Transmitting knowledge to the younger generation and inspiring them to make fibre work is a primary goal of the women.

Dr Louise Hamby is an Australian Design Honouree. Explore Australian Design Honours here

Image (above): Joyce Milpuna Bidingal, Coiled basket (detail), 2007. Photo by Louise Hamby.

Image (below): Julianne Gitjpulu, String bag mat, Gay’wu mät, looped & twisted string, 2008. Photo by Leise Knowles.