Lena Yarinkura
Biography
“No one taught me to use pandanus to make my animals. I have been teaching myself I create new ways all the time. They are only my ideas…I pass my ideas on to my children and my grandchildren. It is important that I teach them, because one day I will be gone, and they will take my place.”
– Lena Yarinkura, 2012
Lena Yarinkura is renowned for her ambitious and highly distinctive pandanus and paperbark fibre sculptures. Yarinkura diverged from the more conventional fibre work of her contemporaries to become one of the first Arnhem Land women to work with fibre in a sculptural way.
Yarinkura has developed her method using pandanus in much the same process as a dilly bag or fish trap might be made: beginning by creating a closed end, much like the base of a dilly bag. When making her noted Yawkyawk spirit form, Yarinkura works up and out to gently expand the woven structure to fashion a bulbous torso before narrowing the weave at the torso’s base or hips to create a flat two layered section representing the tail fins. The ochre pigment applied to the textured weave of the pandanus fibre, suggest the scales of the water spirits and the shimmering quality to their skin.
Yarinkura ‘embraces divergence and invention, and allows for intuition and spontaneity in her process’.[1]
[1] Diane Moon, ‘Lena Yarinkura: “weaving, it can make you happy”’, in Diane Moon (ed.), Floating Life: Contemporary Aboriginal Fibre Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2009, p.134.”
Resources
The Significance of Fibre Art: People, Place and Environment
By Alyson Megan de Groot
Culture Production Rembarrnga Way: Innovation and Tradition in Lena Yarinkura’s and Bob Burruwal’s Metal Sculptures
By Christiane Keller
Artworks
Namorrorddo a profane spirit
Namorrorddo a profane spirit
Wyarra
Wyarra
Wyarra
Past Exhibitions
Solo
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2017 ARTIST ROOM: LENA YARINKURA in Today Tomorrow Yesterday, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW
Group
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2023 mane djang karirra: the place where the dreaming changed shape, Flinders University Museum of Art, Adelaide
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2023 Spiritual Beings, Art Atrium, Sydney, NSW
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2022 Telstra NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
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2022 An-jawa (creek), Sabbia Gallery, Redfern NSW
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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 Tarnanthi: Open Hands, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
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2020 Open Hands, Tarnanthi Exhibition 2020, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA
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2020 Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair 2020, Online
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2020 Tiwi Islands to Arnhem Land
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2019 36th National Aboriginal and Torress Strait Islander Awards Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
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2018 BOB BURRUWAL & LENA YARINKURA: KUNKAMAK NGARRWONENG – OUR HOUSE OF CULTURE, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
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2018 Mardayin - Aboriginal Art von Maningrida Arts, ARTKELCH, Freiburg, Germany
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2018 Barring-bul (Many Walks), Trinity Gallery, University of Melbourne
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2017 Tarnanthi, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA
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2017 White Ochre, FORM, Perth, Australia
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2016 33rd National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
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2016 Marking the Infinite, Nevada Museum of Art, Ongoing touring exhibition of female Aboriginal Australian artists
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2014 Four Spirits from Maningrida, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
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2014 Maningrida, Paul Johnstone Gallery, Darwin, NT
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2012 Stock Jewels, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, Australia
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2012 New Work from Maningrida, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
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2012 unDisclosed: 2nd National Indigenous Art Triennial, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT
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2011 The Dreaming Changes Shape, Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Australia
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2010 27th Telstra National & Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
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2010 Eclectica 2, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
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2010 Soft Sculpture, Framed Gallery, Darwin, Australia
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2010 Best of Maningrida, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, Australia
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2010 Gungamuk - Bob Burruwal & Lena Yarinkura, Sheahan Galleries, Sydney, NSW
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2010 Togart Contemporary Art Exhibition, Chan Contemporary Arts Space, Darwin, Australia
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2009 Survey from Maningrida Arts & Culture, The Mossenson Gallery, Perth, WA
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2009 Spirit Beings and Ceremonial Lorrkon, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
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2009 Maningrida Group Show, Sheahan Galleries, Sydney, NSW
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2009 Togart Contemporary Art Award, The Toga Group, NT
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2009 Works in Season: Bark Paintings, Carvings & Weavings, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
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2009 Orche - A Study in Materiality, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
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2009 Menagerie, Object Gallery & Australian Musuem, Sydney, NSW
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2009 Starry, Starry Night, Framed Gallery, Darwin, NT
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2009 Mythic Creatures - Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney, NSW
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2009 Menagerie, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne, VIC
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2008 Womens Show, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
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2008 Palya Art at Mary Place, Mary Place, Sydney, NSW
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2008 Weaving around the Traps, Chapman & Bailey, Melbourne, VIC
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2008 Interwoven, Indigenart, Perth, WA
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2008 Maningrida Survey Show, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
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2008 Maningrida Arts, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
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2007 Journeys, Outback Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, VIC
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2007 Aboriginal Objects, Sculpture & Bush Toys, Michael Reid Gallery, Sydney
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2007 24th Telstra National & Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
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2007 Lorrkon, Spirit Beings, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
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2005 22nd National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Arts Awards, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
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2004 Bob Burruwal & Lena Yarinkura, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW
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2004 21st Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museum & Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
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2004 Maningrida Fibre, Bandigan art, Sydney, NSW
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2004 Australian Culture Now, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
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2004 Contexture, Framed gallery, Darwin, NT
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2004 Fibre and sculptures, Indigenart, Fremantle, WA
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2004 Divas of the desert: Maningrida, Minymaku, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT
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2004 Maningrida Fibre Art, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London, UK
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2003 Organic Forms in Fibre, Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Sydney, NSW
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2003 Organic Forms in Fibre, Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Sydney, NSW
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2003 Weave, NTU Gallery, Darwin, NT
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2003 Dreamtime, Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Cankarjev Dom Ljubljana, Slovenia
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2003 Maningrida Threads, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW
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2003 Artists in Residence Exhibition, Coomalie Cultural Centre, NT
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2003 Bark paintings, sculpture and fibre work by the Maningrida women artists, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
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2003 Threads of Time, Burrinja gallery, Upwey, VIC
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2003 An Exhibition of Rembarrnga Artists, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
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2003 The Visit, Annandale galleries, Sydney, NSW
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2002 Fibre: An Exhibition of Woven Art, Raft artspace, Darwin, NT
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2002 Spirit of Arnhemland, Redback Art Gallery, Qld
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2002 Barks in the Spotlight, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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2002 Wild nature in contemporary Australian Art and Craft, Jam Factory, Adelaide, SA
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2002 Inspiral, Gallery Gondawana, Alice Springs, NT
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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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2002 Paper & String, Redcliffe City Art Gallery, Qld
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2002 Transition & Resilience, Jam Factory, SA
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2002 The Colour and the Shape, Thornquest Gallery, Qld
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2002 Frisson, 14th Tamworth Fibre Textile Biennal, Manly, NSW
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2001 Weaving in 3 dimensions, Aboriginal & Pacific Arts, Sydney, NSW
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2001 Yvonne Koolmatrie and Lena Yarinkura, Aboriginal & Pacific Arts, Sydney, NSW
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2001 Out of the Mould: An exhibition of first works in bronze and aluminium, Gallery Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
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2001 National Sculpture Prize, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT
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2001 Vital Fluids, Helen Maxwell Gallery, Canberra, ACT
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2000 Transitions: 17 years of the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin; touring nationwide: Tandanya, Adelaide, SA; Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra, ACT
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2000 14th Tamworth Fibre Textile Biennial: Frisson, City Gallery, nationwide touring exhibition
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2000 Biennale Of Sydney 2000, Biennale Of Sydney, various venues at various location, NSW
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1999 Contemporary Australian Craft, Japanese touring exhibition organised in conjunction with the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney; touring to Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo; Takaoka Art Museum, Takaoka; The Museum of Modern Art, Shiga, Otsu, Japan
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1999 The Art of Fibre Spiral, Arm Gallery, Canberra, ACT
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1999 My Country: Australische Aboriginal Kunst, Brandweer Kazerne, Utrecht, Netherlands
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1999 Spinifex Runner : a collection of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fibre art., Campbelltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery, Campbelltown, NSW; touring regional centres
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1998 A Material Thing: Objects from the Collection, Art Gallery NSW, Sydney, NSW
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1998 Maningrida Weavings, Framed Gallery, Darwin, NT
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1998 Spirits of the Dreaming Jarraman Arts Aboriginal Corporation,, National Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Sydney, NSW
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1998 Pandanus and Paperbark, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
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1997 14th Telstra National Aboriginal and Tores Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
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1996 Contemporary Territory, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
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1996 The Language of Place, Framed, Framed Gallery, Darwin, NT
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1996 Dreaming: Aboriginal Art from Australia, Galerie Kouwenhoven, Delft, Netherlands
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1995 Maningrida:The Language of Weaving, A.E.T.A Touring Exhibition throughout Australia and New Zealand
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1995 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Art Award and Exhibition, Old Parliament House, Canberra, ACT
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1994 The Eleventh National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
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1991 Aboriginal Womens Exhibition, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, NSW
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1991 Sea People, National Maritime Museum, Sydney, NSW
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1990 Contemporary Aboriginal Art 1990 From Australia, Australia Third Eye Centre, Glasgow, Scotland; toured to Swansea and Manchester, UK
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1989 The Sixth National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
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1987 Karnta Womens Exhibition, Touring Nationally and South-east Asia
Collections
- Helen Read Collection, Darwin, Australia
- Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
- Aimee Proost Private Collection, Queensland, Australia
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
- Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
- Djomi Museum, Maningrida, Australia
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Maningrida Collection, Sydney, Australia
- National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
- National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia
- Walonia Aboriginal Art, The Netherlands
- The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, California, USA
- Museum DHistoire Naturelle de Lyon, France
- Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia
- Dennis Scholl, Miami, USA
- Artbank, Sydney, NSW