Deborah Wurrkidj
Biography
Deborah Wurrkidj was born in 1971 at Maningrida in north-central Arnhem Land. Her language is Kuninjku and her moiety is Duwa. Deborah is well known for her fibre weaving, bark painting, woodcarving and printmaking.
Deborah is a versatile artist who has readily adapted to new art forms while retaining strong clan traditions. Her work is tactile and intricate and illustrates the artistic innovation that has occurred in Maningrida over the last 30 years.
Alongside her highly regarded fine art practice Deborah, with her mother, Helen Lanyinwanga, and sister Jennifer Wurrkidj has been working at Bábbarra Designs since 1991. She is a leading textile artist and an integral member of Bábbarra Women’s Centre.
Deborah has exhibited nationally including the 19th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2002 and is represented in a number of state and private collections.
Past Exhibitions
Group
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2022 Northern Waters, Short St Gallery Broome
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2022 Spirit in Bark, Koskela Gallery Rosebery
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2022 Thread Count, Agency Projects & Padre Coffee
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2021 Spirit Worlds: Contemporary Works from Maningrida, Michael Reid Berlin
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2021 Lineage, Delmar Gallery, Ashfield NSW
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2020 Tarnanthi Art Fair, Lot Fourteen, Adelaide SA
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2020 Resilience – The Power of the Past Reverberates Today, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Gallery
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2020 RESILIENCE: The power of the past today - Maningrida, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Fine Art, Brussels, BELGUIM
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2020 Tiwi Islands to Arnhem Land
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2019 Tarnanthi Art Fair 2019, AGSA
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2019 Bukkan Rowk – ‘I am teaching you’ THE CONTINUING TRADITION OF BALANG JAMES IYUNA, Outstation Gallery
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2018 From Coast to Escarpment: Spirit Worlds of Maningrida, Michael Reid, Sydney, NSW
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2018 Ngaldjorlhbo | Mother of Everything | Mère de Toute Création, IDAIA, Paris, France
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2018 Karrang Kunred: Motherland, Cross Art Projects, Sydney, NSW
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2017 Karridjowkke Kunronj (Crossing Streams), Nomad Art, Darwin, NT
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2014 Barks, Spirit Figures, Lorrkon and Ceremonial Poles, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
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2010 Replant: a new generation of botanical art, National touring exhibition, curated by Nomad Arts, Darwin, NT
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2009 Orche - A Study in Materiality, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
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2009 Fibre & Rarrk - Marina Murdilnga & Debra Wurrkidj, Vivian Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
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2009 Sculpture Show, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
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2009 26th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
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2009 Works in Season: Bark Paintings, Carvings & Weavings, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
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2009 During the Wet, Hemphill Fine Arts, Washington, USA
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2009 Ancestral Spirit Beings and Ceremonial Lorrkon, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
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2009 Survey from Maningrida Arts & Culture, The Mossenson Gallery, Perth, WA
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2008 Weaving around the Traps, Chapman & Bailey, Melbourne, VIC
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2008 Recent works from Maningrida, Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT
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2008 Womens show, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
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2008 African Muse, Ecorces recentes de Maningrida, Galerie Luc Bertier, Paris, France
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2008 Maningrida Arising, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
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2008 Maningrida Art, Chapman Gallery, Canberra
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2008 25th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
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2007 Spirit in Variation Part II, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW
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2007 Bark Paintings from Maningrida, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
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2006 Cross-section - a collection of prints from NTU stockroom, NTU, Darwin, NT
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2005 Paris-Djinkarr-Milmilngkan, Maningrida Arts & Culture, Darwin, NT
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2004 Crossing Country - The alchemy of Western Arnhem Land art, AGNSW, Sydney, NSW
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2003 Weave, NTU Gallery, Darwin, NT
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2003 Weave, Federation Centre for the Arts, Bundoora Homestead, VIC
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2002 Maningrida Fibre, Redback Art Gallery, QLD
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2002 19th Telstra National & Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
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2001 Good Colour : prints from Maningrida Womens Centre, Raft Artspace, Darwin
Collections
- Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
- Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA
- Artbank, Sydney, Australia