Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous Fashion catalogue

CONTEMPORARY INDIGENOUS FASHION

I

II

I

Phyllis Hobson, Lockhart River Cape York.

Photographer: Naomi Hobson.

‘When the flower blooms then you

know piiwu (rock wallaby) come fat.

Then it is time for burn grass, and

then those flowers fall down on that

burn grass place and the kangaroo

eats them. When that flower is

finished up, then that storm time

finishes too.’

Phyllis Hobson

Kanthanapu

Kuuku Ya’u Elder

II

Shonae Hobson


Cover: Grace Rosendale, Seedpods

top and pants 2019. Linen. Courtesy of

the artist, Hopevale Arts and Cultural

Centre and Queensland University of

Technology. Model: Magnolia Maymuru.

Photographer: Bronwyn Kidd.

Opposite: Grace Lillian Lee, A weave of

reflection – 1/5 2018. Cotton webbing,

cane, goose feathers, cotton yarn.

Courtesy of the artist. Model: Shantel

Miskin. Photographer: Wade Lewis.

Page 2: MIART Collection. Courtesy of

Grace Lillian Lee. Model: Chelsea Bell.

Photographer: Grace Lillian Lee.

Page 3: Yarrenyty Arltere Artists

Collection. Model: Nina. © Maurice

Petrick, Cornelius Ebatarinja, Quincy

Stevens, Dennis Brown, Desart and

Yarrenyty Arltere Artists.

Contents

Director’s Foreword

Jessica Bridgfoot 5

Elder’s Acknowledgement

Rodney Carter 7

Curator’s Essay

Shonae Hobson 9

Designer Interviews

Grace Lillian Lee 24

Julie Shaw 26

Lisa Waup x Verner 30

Lyn-Al Young 36

Margaret Rarru 38

Teagan Cowlishaw 40

Spotlight Biographies

Elisa Jane Carmichael 46

Bernadette Watt 50

Trudy Inkamala 54

Shannon Brett 58

Peggy Griffiths 60

Eva Ponting 64

List of works 69

Acknowledgements 83

1

image credit to go here




Director’s

Foreword

Jessica Bridgfoot

At Bendigo Art Gallery we have an

established history of presenting

international fashion exhibitions.

When First Nations Curator Shonae

Hobson posited the concept of

an Indigenous fashion exhibition

to our team it was a lightning bolt

moment. For over a decade we had

been celebrating, importing and

telling stories from other cultures

around the world – what an exciting

opportunity to shine a light on

a significant fashion movement

blossoming here in Australia. Piinpi:

Contemporary Indigenous Fashion

presents a cultural movement that

is Indigenous-led, industrious,

innovative and has the potential to

redefine the way the world engages

with Indigenous Australian culture

and history – through fashion.

I feel lucky to be here at this

moment to witness what can be

hailed as the next big movement

in Indigenous Australian art and

design – the representation and

reinterpretation of the world’s oldest

living culture through fashion, one

of the most egalitarian art forms.

First Nations artists and designers

have generously shared their culture

with non-Indigenous communities

for decades through art and design

and there is so much we can learn

from Indigenous Australians about

agriculture, spirituality, art and

culture. Many of the designers in this

exhibition are sharing generations

of ancestry and stories through the

mark-making and technique in these

garments and objects.

Piinpi marks a significant moment in

time in Australia’s cultural history – a

unique, genuine movement which is

quickly growing momentum in this

country and internationally. It is an

honour to produce and present this

exhibition and I would like to thank

every artist and designer who has

participated through their generosity

of spirit and by sharing their designs,

stories and objects.

Thank you to First Nations Curator

Shonae Hobson for bringing this

diverse and ambitious exhibition

together with absolute determination

and creativity. We are grateful to

the Bendigo Art Gallery Board for

funding acquisitions from Piinpi to

form the seeds of our Australian

Fashion Collection. I would also like

to thank the writers and contributors

to this publication that celebrates

the first major exhibition to focus on

Indigenous Australian fashion.

Jan Griffiths, Waterlily dress 2019. Handblock

printed cotton and linen, canvas,

polycotton. Courtesy of the artist and

Waringarri Arts. Model: Jan Griffiths.

Photographers: Grace Lillian Lee and

Chris Baker.

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6

Elder’s

Acknowledgement

Rodney Carter

The Djaara have been watching

Djandak for so long. From the

beginning, our story has told of how

our people and homelands were

created, and since that time how,

from generation to generation, we

lived, caring for Country and each

other. In our eyes we are the same

today as those before us; we are still

like our Ancestors, but through your

eyes we are different. It is because

we have survived, and are adapting

to the modernisation of our Bap

Djandak, Mother Earth, and to what

the newcomers have brought to

the land.

I fondly call her guka which means

grandmother, she is also my mother,

my bap, and I am blessed she chose

my murrup, my spirit, to be a child

she has nurtured. As with each

generation, knowledge is passed

along from its beginnings to the

present; our traditional practices

and symbolism are what connect

us together across time. Our cloaks

in this exhibition are not only a

reflection of our cultural traditions,

they embody what our murrup can

be, they are a piece of us for you to

share and enjoy.

materials that are now being cared

for here. Any good relationship can

be complex and challenging and the

relationship we have with the Gallery

and its staff is special. We look

positively to our future and what it

will bring us all.

We welcome you to Country, our

homelands, and to this exhibition

to experience a part of us. Immerse

yourself in the experience as you

take in the exhibition’s objects and

texts. Be slow in this moment and

use your senses deeply. In doing

this you will behold its beauty

and connect.

Wominjika Djandak Gunditj

The Bendigo Art Gallery and its

family is mayam, a shelter, a safe

place and a place we have chosen

to be in partnership with as the

‘Place of Keeping’ for cultural items

which have been repatriated to us.

The ‘Datim Datim’ exhibition of the

Dja Dja Wurrung collection was part

of our collaboration for YAPENYA

2018. It was an incredible moment

that lives on through the significant

MIART Collection, Cairns Indigenous Art

Fair 2017. Photographer: Tim Ashton.

7

Piinpi

Contemporary

Indigenous Fashion

Shonae Hobson

‘When the flower blooms then you

know piiwu (rock wallaby) come fat.

Then it is time for burn grass, and

then those flowers fall down on that

burn grass place and the kangaroo

eats them. When that flower is

finished up, then that storm time

finishes too.’

Phyllis Hobson,

Kanthanapu, Kuuku Ya’u Elder 1

When my great grandmother talks

about her Country, she describes

the intimate and abiding connection

between people, place and land.

For my people, who come from

Wathada (Birthday Mountain) 2 , our

relationship to our Ancestral lands

and our custodial responsibilities

to them, is deeply embedded in

everything we do. Traditionally, our

old people would look to the flowers,

the stars and the changing seasons

to guide them on their journey

across Country.

When the puu’lu (rain bird) 3 calls,

we know ngurkitha (wet season) is

about to begin. The rivers, creeks

and waterways will fill with water,

transforming the landscape into

verdant bushlands. Malantachi

(thunder) will travel inland from

the coast, across the skies,

bringing plenty of rain with him. For

communities across Cape York,

ngurkitha (wet season) is a period

of quiet solidarity, when travel

is limited, and families begin to

prepare for the long wet.

The land lets us know when we can

hunt, collect bush foods, and gather

materials for traditional ceremonies

and malkari (dance). Today, we

keep this cultural knowledge alive

through our art, songs, dance and

storytelling. For Kanichi Thampanu 4 ,

this sacred connection between

people, place and land, is what we

call Piinpi.

***

The exhibition Piinpi: Contemporary

Indigenous Fashion brings together

a selection of seventy designers,

artists and makers to showcase

the first major survey of Indigenous

Australian fashion. Comprising

over one hundred objects including

hand-made garments, accessories,

fibre material and textile prints,

the exhibition sheds light on a

movement that is blossoming and

set to become one of Australia’s

leading fashion phenomena. Piinpi

features a collection of pioneer

designers, artists and makers who

are carving the future of fashion

and design in Australia and leading

important conversations around

ethical and sustainable practices.

Indigenous fashion is not a ‘trend’,

but an important movement that

has put Indigenous voices and

artistic expression at the centre

of the global fashion agenda.

Unconfined by the convention of

producing large scale seasonal

collections en masse, contemporary

Indigenous fashion is admired for its

timelessness and integrity.

The concept of Indigenous seasons

underlies Piinpi, which is based

thematically around four widely

recognised Kuuku Ya’u seasons:

ngurkitha (wet season), kayaman

(dry season), pinga (regeneration)

and piicha piicha (cool season).

For many of the artists and makers

in the exhibition, topographical

features of the land – including river

systems, waterways and native

flora and fauna – are key sources of

inspiration for their designs. Native

Australian bush foods including

lady apples and magpie geese

are recurring motifs, blended with

mellifluous patterning that sings

and breathes through the garments.

Piinpi builds on the compelling visual

experiences of curated fashion

performances at events like Cairns

Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) and the

Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF)

Country to Couture show, to create

a visceral exhibition experience

that is intended to take audiences

on a journey across Country. It is

hoped that the exhibition will instil

a newfound understanding and

appreciation of Indigenous material

culture and a sense of pride among

old and new audiences alike.

Fashion has proved to be a

viable source of income for many

Indigenous artists working in remote

communities as well as contributing

to the economic sustainability and

entrepreneurship of those working in

Maicie Lalara, Pink dress 2018. Plant

dyes, recycled sari silk. Courtesy of the

artist and Anindilyakwa Arts.

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metropolitan regions. All garments

are produced and manufactured in

Australia, demonstrating the role

that ethical and sustainable fashion

practices have within the broader

Australian economy and highlighting

the importance of ‘slow fashion’.

Free of the clichés of western

fashion markets and the ‘seasonal

trends’ defined by European styles

of dress, contemporary Indigenous

fashion is celebrated for its rich

storytelling, avant-garde aesthetic

and fusion of old and new materials

and techniques. The garments and

accessories in the exhibition are

both practical and beautiful. We

can observe a shared vision for

storytelling, continuation of cultural

practices and optimism for the

future. Piinpi does not focus on a

‘hero’ designer or iconic fashion

house – instead it privileges the

voices of many artists and makers

who have contributed to the genesis

of contemporary Indigenous

fashion today. As a collective voice,

Indigenous design has an integral

role to play in shaping the vision of

fashion for the future. On a par with

fellow artists working in painting,

ceramics and sculpture, Indigenous

makers of fashion are changing

the perceptions of mainstream

audiences and sending powerful

messages of resistance and cultural

leadership through their work.

The history of fashion in Australia

and the place of Indigenous people

within that history is a subject of

contention. Since colonisation,

Indigenous culture, adornment

wear and art have been the subject

of anthropological curiosity and

fascination. 5 As many scholars of

post-colonial dress would argue,

Indigenous possum skin cloaks,

booka kangaroo capes and shell

necklaces, among other culturally

important and sensitive materials,

were highly sought after by colonial

collectors – predominantly because

they were considered ‘ethnographic’

and ‘exotic’. Despite the popularity

of Indigenous material culture

amongst non-Indigenous audiences,

government policies of the day

restricted Indigenous people’s rights

to access their culture, speak their

language and be recognised and

acknowledged as ‘makers’ of their

own cultural materials in museums

and galleries.

These early colonial sentiments

were arguably demonstrated again

in the works of non-Indigenous

artists and fashion designers during

the 1970s and 1980s, who utilised

Indigenous iconography and motifs

consistently in their work. 6 The

1970s also saw a shift in Australian

national dress codes, with many

designers turning to the landscape

for inspiration. 7 As Jennifer Craik

argues, ‘Australiana imagery and the

appropriation of Indigenous motifs

in the fabric and surface of design

of clothes became part of a periodic

obsession with defining national

identity and the associated symbols

of national culture.’ 8 As prominent

Australian fashion designer Linda

Jackson recalls, following a trip

to Utopia, Northern Territory in

1982: ‘That was the start of it, I

have been immersed ever since.

It was like opening a magic door,

it was exciting . . . and marked a

new direction and helped start the

whole Bush Couture era’. 9 Jackson’s

enthusiasm for Indigenous design

resulted in many collaborations with

Indigenous artists and communities

across Australia. 10 Her Bush Couture

collection is a testament to the

profound influence that Indigenous

design had across the mainstream

fashion industry at that time. To the

dismay of designers like Jackson,

who grasped the concord between

Indigenous ‘art’ and ‘fashion’, this

recognition was not echoed in the

broader Australian industry and

Indigenous designers were still

excluded from the discourses of

mainstream fashion agendas.

Today, contemporary Indigenous

fashion prevails as a powerful form

of resistance. Indigenous designers

and makers are reclaiming their

identity and transforming the future

of fashion and design in Australia

through bold and innovative modes

of artistic expression. The movers

and shakers of the industry are a

new wave of artistic innovators,

unafraid to challenge the status quo

and reinforce strong messages of

empowerment through their designs.

Despite the history of oppression

of Australia’s First Peoples, the

contemporary Indigenous fashion

movement is celebrated for

its joy, hope and optimism. As

Yuwaalaraay designer Julie Shaw

observes, ‘Indigenous designers

and artists bring a dynamic edge

to the Australian fashion industry

where our creative endeavours are

enriched with story, meaning and

purpose, and that in turn enriches

the tapestry of Australian design.’ 11

MIART Collection. Courtesy of Grace

Lillian Lee. Models (left to right): Rhondell

Williams, Letisha Gabori, Geraldine

Rainbow, Alma Williams, Chelsea Bell.

Photographer: Grace Lillian Lee.

11

During the early development of

Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous

Fashion, I began to think about

my own experiences of creating

traditional adornment wear for

malkari (dance ceremonies), and

the significance of this process

for my community in central Cape

York. Travelling onto my traditional

Country to collect pandanus leaves

and native bush dyes is an activity

shared among cousins, sisters,

mothers and aunties – to yarn,

tell stories and sometimes just be

in quiet solidarity en plein air. To

feel the wind as it rustles through

the trees, always thinking about

my Ancestors during the process.

I vividly recall visiting my great

grandmother, who would always be

weaving a dilly bag or grass skirt

outside her house by the fire. These

activities keep our culture strong

and ensure that we care for the land

in a holistic way – using resources

only when needed to ensure their

long-term availability for the future.

The creation process that takes

place between ‘maker’ and ‘object’

is a defining feature of many of

the items in the exhibition. It is the

direct contact between the artist’s

hand and the medium which is

such a distinctive characteristic

of Indigenous fashion and design.

From the vivacious Burrkunda

dresses made by women from

the Mornington Islands with

their mesmerising energy and

freedom expressed through

direct application of paint to the

garments, through to the intricately

woven ghost net baskets by the

artists at Anindilyakwa Arts – every

object in this exhibition shares

the living memories and stories

of its artists and makers. The

interconnectedness between creator

and product is embedded in a rich

visual language that dates back

65,000 years. The convergence of

traditional forms of mark-making

as seen in body adornment and

painting-up for ceremony, with a

rich oral language of storytelling

is what makes Indigenous fashion

so profound.

The recognition of Indigenous

fashion as a fine art form stands

as a testament to the credibility of

each designer and artist. Blurring

the lines between fashion and art

allows the designers to expand their

practice through experimentation

and exploration of newly discovered

materials and styles. This is evident

in the works of Ngugi woman Elisa

Jane Carmichael and Meriam Mir

artist Grace Lillian Lee who produce

important works of wearable art that

trace their Ancestral lineage whilst

adopting traditional techniques

through a contemporary context.

Carmichael writes about her work

By the sea (p. 48), ‘This hat was

inspired by my research into the

history of Australian fashion. This

hat responds to Akubras being

recognised as one of Australia’s

key forms of fashion. I wove this

hat using the techniques of coiling

and looping, acknowledging our

weaving practices which also need

to be recognised in the history of

Australian dress.’ 12 Using a bold

colour palette and materials found

on coastal shores including fish

scales and sea ropes, the work

demonstrates the artist’s knowledge

of traditional weaving gained

from her ties to the Ngugi people

on Stradbroke Island, while also

providing a post-colonial lens to

challenge preconceived ideas about

Australian national dress.

For Indigenous designers, fashion

provides another avenue of artistic

expression which parallels other fine

art forms including bark paintings

and acrylic on canvas. Through their

work, fashion designers articulate

their social and cultural identities,

while tackling important political

conversations. For artists working in

remote locations, fashion is another

means to illustrate their sacred

connection to Country and culture.

Their designs are vibrant, intricate,

and evocative of the landscape

and native flora and fauna. It is not

uncommon for Indigenous artists

and makers to be proficient in a wide

range of art mediums. As Kuninjku

artist Deboarh Wurrkdij explains,

‘We are always thinking of our

Country. Every time. Every single

time. It does not matter if it’s for

our fabric or for bark, we are always

thinking we are at our homeland,

thinking about our Country.’ 13 For

artists like Wurrkdij, textile printing

is a form of cultural expression that

is inherently tied to other important

cultural activities like collecting

native bush foods.

For Gunnai, Wiradjuri, Gunditjmara

and Yorta Yorta woman Lyn-Al

Young, the act of painting and

creating is attached to an abiding

spiritual connection between

12

Daisy Hamlot, Gudar (community dogs),

dress and hat 2019. Linen. Cairns

Indigenous Art Fair 2018. Model: Carleah

Flinders. Photographer: Wade Lewis.

Esmae Bowen, Buthaya (bush lady

apples) top and skirt 2019. Silk organza,

cotton. Courtesy of the artist, Hopevale

Arts and Cultural Centre and Queensland

University of Technology.

Grace Rosendale, Seedpods dress 2019.

Silk organza, elastic, sequinned fabric.

Courtesy of the artist, Hopevale Arts

and Cultural Centre and Queensland

University of Technology.

creator and garment: ‘As a painter

and mark-maker, painting and

creating is an act of worship,

it is spiritual and ceremonial,

honouring the sacred storytelling

and passing down of gifts and

connecting to my Ancestors on a

deeper level.’ 14 Talking about her

ethereal silk creations and the

technical processes involved, she

explains that an integral part of

her creation process is to ‘sing the

songs of her Ancestors through her

designs’. 15 For artists like Young,

the creative process that underpins

her garments is just as important

as the final object itself. Unlike

western fashion which emphasises

‘product’ over process, Indigenous

designs are made with an ethical

consciousness that is informed by

a deep and abiding understanding

of culture and respect for the

environment. Moving beyond the

Romantic notion of nature and

the sublime as appropriated by

many iconic European designers,


embodies an authentic potency

that can only be articulated by

those who know and understand

the land intimately.

As master weaver Margaret Rarru

demonstrates in her famous

Madonna bathi (p. 39). and Madonna

bra (p. 23) the process behind the

construction of the items involves

collecting gunga (pandanus) and

balgurr (bark for making string)

which is stripped of its spines,

peeled in half and dried in the

sun. The strips are then dyed in a

pot over a fire with roots, leaves

and other materials depending

on the intended colour. As Rarru

explains, ‘making baskets makes

me happy’. 16 The raison d’être

behind the artists’ woven materials

allows them to carry the knowledge

of their Ancestors, whilst also

experimenting and pushing the

boundaries of the medium itself,

as is evident in Rarru’s Madonna

bra which has a contemporary

flair. Rarru was taught to weave at

Galawin’ku, on Elcho Island with

her aunties. Many generations

of Rarru’s Ancestors have made

bathi (dilly bags) for ceremonial

and everyday use. Rarru has since

adapted and experimented with her

weaving practice, tapping into a

variety of colour combinations that

explore shape and form to create

beautiful works of art that have been

admired and collected by institutions

nationally and internationally.

Embracing the visual language

of pop culture, Rarru transforms

traditional weaving techniques into

elaborate works of wearable art.

The woven pandanus hats by

artists Margaret Malibirr, Mary

Dhapalany and Evonne Munuyungu

from Bula’bula Arts Aboriginal

Corporation in the Ramingining

community of North East Arnhem

Land (pp. 27–29) display a similar

combination of traditional practices

and experimentation. The women

utilise materials collected and

gathered on Country to create

works of wearable art that are

both aesthetically pleasing and

technically complex. The Widebrim

woven hat with raw edges

(multi-coloured) (p. 28) is made

from the split leaves of the screw

palm (pandanus spiralis) which

are dried, soaked and boiled with

root, bulb and bark dyes. Made

in collaboration with Yuwaalaraay

woman and founder of MAARA

Collective, Julie Shaw, they are part

of a collection that is luxurious in

style, and which embraces the warm

Australian climate. This collaboration

is the gold standard in ethical

fashion practices between remote

artists and fashion designers and

demonstrates the benefits of utilising

available materials from Country.

For designer Grace Lillian Lee,

fashion has been a catalyst for

important conversations around

diversity and inclusion within

the broader fashion space.

Her credibility as an artist

of consequence, has defied

preconceived notions of Indigenous

fashion as ‘craft’ and reinforced an

aesthetic worthy of international

recognition. Blurring the lines

between ‘fashion’ and ‘art’, Lee

has opened the door to a plethora

of Indigenous creatives, enabling

them to successfully produce

wearable fashion collections. Lee’s

collaboration with Indigenous artists

from remote communities including

Waringarri Arts and Mornington

Island Arts Centre, has resulted in

highly commended and soughtafter

fashion pieces. A designer,

entrepreneur and leader of the

industry, Lee’s own artistic practice

is admirable. On the relationship

between fashion and art, she says

‘fashion has its place, but exploring

my work as an art practice allows

me the time and space to deepen

the ideas and push the boundaries

Arkie Barton, Rainbow dreaming

dress 2015. Sublimation digital

print on polyester taffeta. Model:

Jessica Fernance. Photographer:

Charles Subitzky.

17

of traditional technique within a

contemporary context’. 17 For Lee,

whose art draws on her Ancestral

lineage, the adoption of the

‘grasshopper’ weaving technique

which traditionally uses palm fronds,

was introduced to her by artist and

mentor Ken Thaiday. The ‘prawnweaving’

practice is common in

the Torres Strait and is used for

making decorative ornaments and

children’s play objects. 18 Lee utilises

this technique to create elaborate

body sculptures that manipulate

scale, shape, form and material.

Hand made using cotton webbing,

cotton yarn, cane and goose

feathers, ‘A weave of reflection - 1/5’

(p. 25) references ritual performance

and traditional weaving through a

contemporary lens. Lee’s bright

colours and highly structured fabric

forms distinguish her work from

her contemporaries.

Piinpi also spotlights the works

of artists living and working in the

remotest regions of Australia, many

of whom are adept in a range of

media including weaving, painting

and printmaking. With the support

of art centre coordinators and

through successful collaborations

with fashion designers, these artists

have added fashion design to their

impressive repertoire. The Yarrenyty

Arltere Artists, best known for their

lively and playful hand-sewn soft

sculptures, showcased their limitededition

fashion collection Arrweketye

Mob: Women Mob at the 2019

Country to Couture fashion show

in Darwin. Their garments respond

to the visual potency of their

sculptures; bright pinks, yellows

and blues are incorporated into

their fabrics, including linear paint

markings that show great freedom

of expression and experimentation.

Trudy Inkamala’s cheerful piece,

Beautiful all my ideas (p. 57), for

example, is a simply constructed

garment with long sleeves and

handmade sculptural accessories

that reflects the joys of remote

community life.

Senior artist Daisy Hamlot from

Hope Vale depicts vibrant pieces

that celebrate her community in

Cape York. Her Gudar (community

dog), dress and hat (p. 13) features

the dogs which have become

recurring subjects in her paintings

and textiles. In her own words,

‘my paintings are about my two

pet dogs 7-0 and Granny boy’. 19

Hamlot reinforces the importance

of her Ancestral ties to the Ngamu

Ngaaagau (dingo) through her

explanation, ‘The dog is my totem.

The dingo. That’s my totem, that is

why I am doing it.’ 20 Printed using

a palette of pastel yellow and blue,

the garment provides an entry point

into Hamlot’s personal, familial and

social life. The work is both cheeky

and playful. For Gamba Gamba

(senior women) from Hope Vale

Arts Centre, bush foods and native

plants are recurring motifs in their

textile designs. The Buthaya (bush

lady apples) top and skirt (p. 14) by

artist Esmae Bowen is delicately

constructed and showcases a

repetition of detailed print patterns.

For Gamba Gamba, fabric printing

has been an integral part of their

artistic journey. Their collection

Wubuul Buii – made in collaboration

with Queensland University of

Technology (QUT) fashion and

design students – debuted at the

annual Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

(CIAF) fashion performance in 2019.

The result of the collaboration was

a cutting edge couture collection.

Transferring their prints into wearable

works of art has allowed the women

to develop their print techniques and

work with non-Indigenous designers,

whilst taking ownership of their

designs and creations. The prints

receive newfound appreciation as

unique fashion pieces.

Communicating their stories

and narratives in their garments,

Indigenous designers reflect the

growing importance of sharing,

through fashion, their continual links

with their communities and their

contemporary identities. Hamlot’s

depiction of dogs and Bowen’s

native bush foods are examples

of the nuances that underpin


being produced today. The designers

and makers in Piinpi reference and

convey their culture and community

in a myriad of forms. In the markings

that adorn the garments and

accessories of Gunditjmara and

Torres Strait Islander artist Lisa

Waup (who has collaborated with

Australian fashion designer Ingrid

Verner), symbolic representations of

‘cultural identity’ and ‘protection of

history’ are articulated through the

use of lines and repeated patterns.

The Continuity coveralls – continuity

print (p. 78) from Waup and Verner’s

second collaboration – the Journeys

collection – demonstrates the

technical virtuosity and daring

18

MIART Collection. Courtesy of Grace

Lillian Lee. Models (left to right): Ethal

Thomas, Elsie Gabori, Netta Loogatha

(centre), Helena Gabori. Photographer:

Grace Lillian Lee.

flair of both women, who have

each contributed an element

of themselves to the work. The

linear markings on the print are

reproductions from Waup’s original

drawings on tapa cloth (pp. 34–35).

Exploring the markings of ancient

shield designs, Waup incorporates

themes of ‘protection’ and ‘cultural

identity’ through her pieces.

Combined with Verner’s distinctive

design style, these confident

and relaxed garments blur the

boundaries with traditional genderbased

dress wear.

Piinpi also showcases artists and

designers living in the metropolitan

cities, who are producing garments

and jewellery pieces that embody

powerful expressions of black

identity and colonial resistance.

Drawing references from pop

culture and street wear, these

designers are challenging western

constructs of ‘blackness’ and

embodying new forms of expression

that speak to youth culture and

global identities. Fashion designer

Teagan Cowlishaw and founder

of label AARLI – meaning ‘fish’ in

Bardi language – has produced a

powerful collection of designs that

empower the next generation of

Indigenous youth. Incorporating

popular Indigenous slang words like

‘deadly’ into her street wear apparel,

Cowlishaw’s Deadly kween jumpsuit

(pp. 41–43) is the embodiment

of black empowerment through

fashion. Using a method of twisting

3D neoprene to represent fish scales

and gills across the shoulders of

the piece, Cowlishaw pays homage

to her familial ties. There is an

intrinsic sense of pride felt when

wearing a garment that is about

black empowerment. Cowlishaw’s

garment is an ode to streetwear

fashion and the continued resistance

of artists working in urban city

centres. Her use of upcycled

materials reinforces her ethical

messages about sustainability and

resourcefulness through fashion.

The exhibition Piinpi: Contemporary

Indigenous Fashion is not a

retrospective of Indigenous

fashion and design over time

but a contemporary survey of

Indigenous fashion today, which is

shaped by the history, stories and

narratives that make us so unique.

Indigenous fashion is resistant to

Eurocentric ideas of dress and

deeply embedded in a strong visual

language that relates to the land and

contemporary Indigenous identities.

I hope that the exhibition will activate

meaningful conversations around

Indigenous fashion and design in

Australia and be the starting point of

many exhibitions and collaborations

across the country.

1 Phyllis Hobson, transcribed by Naomi

Hobson and emailed to the author, 1

August 2019.

2 Wathada refers to a sacred site for

Southern Kaantju People from Cape

York. See Southern Kaantju: Healthy

Country Plan, Kalan Enterprises,

2015, p. 15.

3 The rain bird is also known as the

common koel.

4 Kanichi Thampanu refers to

Indigenous peoples who reside on the

East Coast of Cape York Peninsula,

Queensland, Australia.

5 Alexandra Crosby, Jason De Santolo,

Peter McNeil and Treena Clark, ‘How

Indigenous fashion designers are

taking control and challenging the

notion of the heroic, lone genius’, The

Conversation, August 13, 2019, p. 1.

6 Craig Douglas, ‘The Spectacle of

Fashion: Museum Collection, Display

and Exhibition,’ in Bonnie English

and Liliana Pomazan (eds), Australian

Fashion Unstitched: the last 60

years, Cambridge University Press,

Cambridge, 2010, p. 138.

7 ibid. p. 136.

8 Jennifer Craik, ‘Is Australian Fashion

and Dress Distinctively Australian?’,

Fashion Theory, vol 13, 2009, p. 411.

9 Katie Somerville, ‘Bush couture

– Bringing the bush to town’, in

Judith Ryan (ed.), Act 1, Across the

Desert: Aboriginal Batik from Central

Australia, Melbourne, 2009, p. 138.

10 ibid.

11 See interview with Julie Shaw p. 26.

12 See quote from Elisa Jane Carmichael

p. 49.

13 Ingrid Johanson, Jarracharra: dry

season winds, 2019, Bábbarra

Women’s Centre, p. 27.

14 Myles Russell-Cook, ‘Ties that bind’,

Vogue, December 2019, p. 181.

15 Lyn-Al Young, conversation with the

author, 7 March 2020.

16 Millingimbi Art and Culture, ‘Meet

Margaret Rarru – weaver and painter’,

22 August 2017, Millingimbi Art and

Culture,nwww.milingimbiart.com/

margaret-rarru-weaving/, accessed 17

Jun. 2020.

17 Michelle Boyde, ‘Nature and beyond

– the artistic fashion of Grace

Lillian Lee’, 24 June 2016, Garland,

garlandmag.com/article/nature-andbeyond-the-artistic-fashion-of-gracelillian-lee/,

accessed 17 June, 2020.

18 See interview with Grace Lillian Lee p. 24.

19 Hope Vale Art and Culture Centre,

‘Daisy Hamlot’, 2018, Hope Vale

Art and Culture Centre, www.

hopevaleart.org.au/daisy-hamlot,

accessed 10 June 2020.

20 Artist profile, ‘Daisy Hamlot at the

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair’, Artist

Profile, www.artistprofile.com.

au/daisy-hamlot-at-the-cairnsindigenous-art-fair/,

accessed 10

June, 2020.

20

Grace Rosendale, Seedpods top and

pants 2019. Linen. Courtesy of the artist,

Hopevale Arts and Cultural Centre and

Queensland University of Technology.

22

Margaret Rarru, Madonna bra 2015.

Pandanus, kurrajong and natural dyes.

Courtesy of the artist and Onespace

Gallery. Collection of Elisa Jane

Carmichael and Jasper Coleman.

Photographer: Louis Lim.

Designer Interviews

Grace Lillian Lee

What is your language group?

I am a descendant of the

Meriam Mir people of the

Eastern Islands of the

Torres Strait. I identify as a

multicultural artist as I come

from a mixed background.

However, I celebrate and

explore my Torres Strait

Islander heritage because

this was suppressed in my

father’s upbringing.

Tell us about your practice and your

journey to get to this point.

Taking my Grandma back to

the Torres Strait Islands where

she had not returned for

fifty-seven years, I started to

explore my cultural lineage the

best way I knew, and that was

through fashion and design.

I met artist Uncle Ken Thaiday

who taught me how to weave.

He showed me weaving

techniques and encouraged

me to share my stories and

learnings about who I am and

where I come from through

my creativity. He taught me

how to weave the grasshopper

out of palm fronds, commonly

used as a decorative

ornament during celebrations.

I began to explore this

technique using leather and

plastic. Then I finally found

a fabric which gave me the

opportunity to play with scale,

colour and shape – pre-dyed

24

cotton webbing – a modern

textile which I used in place

of the traditional coconut

palm leaves.

I now like to explore

contemporary issues, such as

multiculturalism and identity. I

do this through photography,

fashion performances and

creating body adornment.

What or who inspires you?

My inspiration comes from

wanting to create a more

inclusive space within the

creative industry which really

highlights the richness and

diversity of our Nation. I

believe fashion and design

are a beautiful way to

communicate our stories

through something that

is tangible and relatable


It inspires me that our culture

is alive and evolving with

strong core values, ensuring

we stay authentic to ourselves

as individuals and as

a community.

What is your vision for fashion

design in Australia?

We will lead the industry

to understand that fashion

started here. We have been

weaving for over 65,000 years,

intertwining two yarns. This

is the essence of what makes

lengths of fabric.

Our culture will be celebrated

for the knowledge it has to

share and for its ability to

better the industry called

fashion – an industry which is

otherwise notorious. Fashion

and design will help our

next generation to preserve

our cultural identity through

storytelling and passing on

knowledge. This is not a trend

but a way of life. Fashion is

an art form which creates

opportunity for soft entry

approaches to healing our

people and bringing together

our Nation as one.

I think this is the perfect

gateway for non-Indigenous

people to also pay respect

and become allies by learning

more about how complex

and diverse our Nation is. We

will heal together through the

power of dress.

What are you working on next?

I am the founder and director

of First Nations Fashion

+ Design (FNFD) and am

committed to creating a

bright future which will be a

legacy to ensure the safety of

Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islanders working within the

space of fashion and design.

Establishing FNFD as an

Indigenous organisation with

the First Nations Fashion

Council and our members has

created a central foundation

upon which to strengthen

the Indigenous fashion and

design sector.

Grace Lillian Lee, A weave of reflection

– 1/5 2018. Cotton webbing, cane,

goose feathers, cotton yarn. Courtesy

of the artist. Model: Shantel Miskin.

Photographer: Wade Lewis.

25

Julie Shaw


Yuwaalaraay.



I’ve had a love for art and

design from a young age

and knew that this was the

path I would pursue. After

completing school I moved to

Sydney to study a Bachelor

of Design majoring in Fashion

and Textiles at the University

of Technology. I then travelled

and lived abroad for two

years, landing my first role in

fashion as a design assistant

in London. On returning to

Australia I worked for several

fashion houses in Sydney and

Melbourne before establishing

my own business.

My dream has always

been to collaborate with

Indigenous artists, designers

and entrepreneurs to create

inspirational products with

a story to tell. This dream is

being realised through the

establishment of my line

MAARA Collective. I feel it is

important to celebrate and

showcase the talents of our

artists, weavers and textile

designers in a meaningful

way, and collaboration is such

a powerful means of sharing

stories and skills appropriately.

The Resort ‘20 Collection on

display as part of the Piinpi

exhibition was produced in

collaboration with Yolngu

master weavers Mary

Dhapalany, Margaret Malibirr

and Evonne Munuyngu of

Bula’bula Art Centre in North-

East Arnhem Land. This

collection of garments and

woven accessories debuted

at the Darwin Aboriginal Art

Fair as part of the Country to

Couture fashion show in 2019.


Culture inspires me. Creatively

I am very drawn to traditional

weaving and stringwork

practices. I am inspired

by the significance of the

stories behind artworks and

weavings. Cultural objects

are not just aesthetically

beautiful in design, but always

have a purpose and a reason

for being.

Collaborating with the Yolngu

weavers from Bula’bula Art

Centre has been a dream

come true for me; I’ve always

harboured a creative dream to

work with artists from remote

communities. To be granted

the opportunity to learn from

the women, to be invited onto

their Country in Arnhem Land

and to work with them was an

honour and experience that I

will cherish forever.

I am so inspired by these

women who have carried

traditions through generations

and are now passing those

learnings down. I am inspired

by their wealth of cultural

knowledge and understanding

of the land, by their dynamic

design innovation and their

ability to adapt to ensure

the continuation of cultural

knowledge and practices.



My vision is for a more open

and inclusive approach to all

areas of the industry – from

designers to photographers,

models, production teams and

so on. We really need to see

a more diverse representation

of talent.

I believe that Indigenous

designers and artists bring

a dynamic edge to the

Australian fashion industry

through our creative

endeavours which are

enriched with story, meaning

and purpose; and that in

turn enriches the tapestry of

Australian design.


I am researching and building

relationships with artists and

entrepreneurs to collaborate

with in upcoming collections

across various product

categories aligned with our

fashion and lifestyle offering.

The MAARA Collective online

store is also about to launch.

It will allow customers to

experience our complete

fashion and lifestyle ranges

plus access our exclusive

capsule collections.

26

2019 Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Country

to Couture, Julie Shaw, MAARA

Collective x Bula’bula Aboriginal Arts

Corporation, MAARA Collection.

Photographer: Dylan Buckee.

MAARA Collective x Bula’bula Arts

collaboration. Hat by Margaret Malibirr

of Bula’bula Arts. Dress by MAARA

Collective. Model: Renee Weston.

Photographer: Michael Jalaru Torres.

28

Margaret Malibirr with woven hat. Photo

by Isabella Wright (taken at Bula’bula

Art Centre during the making process).

Image provided with permission from the

artist and Bula’bula Arts.

29

Lisa Waup and

Ingrid Verner


LISA: Gunditjmara and Torres

Strait Islander.



LISA: I am a multidisciplinary

artist and my art practice

explores relationships

between identity, historical

events, relations to family

and Country. I express

this through a variety of

mediums such as weaving.

I have an affinity with paper

which I use in printmaking,

drawing, sculpture, body

adornment and jewellery

making. In 2017 and 2019 I

collaborated with Melbourne

based fashion designer Ingrid

Verner. We have created

two collections together

that have been presented at

Melbourne Fashion Week,

Virgin Australia Melbourne

Fashion Festival, Hong Kong

Business of Design Week

and Country to Couture at

the Darwin Aboriginal Art

Fair. The prints that have

been incorporated into our

collections started from pen

and ink drawings. I love the

way my original drawings have

been transformed into 3D

representations that become

animated when they walk

down the street or catwalk.

INGRID: I founded VERNER,

a women’s wear label, in

Melbourne in 2013, after

working as a designer at

Australian label TV. VERNER’s

curiosity about the relevance

and influence of Australian

culture brings authentic

and distinctive design and

breaks down tired clichéd

perspectives. The result is

confident, relaxed and easyto-apply

pieces that reference

and reflect our culture. I enjoy

playing with the proportions

of classic archetypes and

tailored utilitarian shapes in

sportswear compositions.

I want to offer shapes for

women that make them

feel a sense of equality and

comfort. VERNER regularly

collaborates with like-minded

artists, adding a further layer

of interest to each collection.

The resulting pieces are an

experiment in fusing creative

practices to find a new shared

visual language.


LISA: What really inspires me

is my family and my children

who have been my biggest

teachers. I also get huge

inspiration from First Nations

people worldwide – I am

inspired by their resilience and

strength, I’m interested in the

details of their own individual

stories and I respect their

constant perseverance of

belonging to Country.

INGRID: I take inspiration from

exploring my surroundings,

the here and now and the

everyday. I love to laugh

so what I’m doing is often

imbued with a wry sense of

humour or tongue-in-cheek.

Designs take inspiration

from the instinctual beauty

of professional and personal

uniforms – practical garments

that we wed our identity to

and which serve as both tools

and channels of expression.

I’m also very interested in the

dialogue between surface and

structural design.



LISA: My vision is for First

Nations designs to become

more visible. For our First

Nations artists and designers

to create their own fashion

industry their way, not to

follow the model of fashion

that already exists. In a way

I want to reinvent the wheel

– slow fashion is the key,

limited edition collections,

and an extension of our

unique art and storytelling,

using a different medium

of expression (fashion).

Respectfully utilising practices

that are sustainable, such

as ethically sourced fabrics,

and quality designs. I want to

educate our Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander sisters,

brothers, mothers, aunties

and grannies to create and be

given opportunities to learn

and deliver power into these

communities through this

medium (if this is something

they are interested in of

course). I want a platform

created through which they

can tell individual stories; a

platform which can make

30

Lisa Waup x Verner, Continuity suit

– continuity print 2019-20. Printed

cotton on canvas. Courtesy of

Lisa Waup x Verner. Photographer:

Agnieszka Chabros.

them proud of who they are

and where they are from, and

help them share that with the

wider world.

INGRID: I see opportunity

in the absence of traditional

dress codes in Australia. The

challenge is to create a fresh

identity. It’s a bit too easy to

fall for the cheap clichés of

Australian identity, so I try

to focus on a more present

Australia. I think, as designers,

we too easily continue to

adapt a European or American

philosophy about dress, and

I try and challenge that a little

bit. We live in a vast space

where anything is possible.


LISA: I have returned to study

and am currently doing a

Masters of Contemporary Art

at Victorian College of the

Arts (VCA) in Melbourne. It

has been a dream to study at

VCA, but the challenge now,

in the midst of the Covid-19

virus, is to develop my art in

a different space and change

the creative ideas that I

originally wanted to achieve.

I also have several exciting

projects and exhibitions in

the mix that are a little under

wraps at the moment.

INGRID: I’m working on the

development of textile and

print for a number of small

collections. I also teach at

RMIT University and really

enjoy working with the fashion

students there.

32

Page 33: Lisa Waup x Verner, New frill

dress – tracing history print 2019-20.

Printed cotton. Courtesy of Lisa Waup

x Verner. Model: Cianne Woolley.

Photographer: Gina Diggle.

Page 34: Lisa Waup, Family Identity. Ink

on paper. Courtesy of the artist.

Page 35: Lisa Waup, Continuity (Without

Stagnation). Ink on paper. Courtesy

the artist.

33

34

35

Lyn-Al Young


Gunnai, Wiradjuri, Gunditjmara

and Yorta Yorta from South

East Australia.



I am the owner of LYN-AL and

I create one-off original pieces

of wearable art that celebrate

the stories of my family,

community, Country, markings

and totems.

My fashion journey started

when I was young. I would

dance and sing wearing

clothes that my family painted

our stories onto. The first time

I designed something myself

and created a mock-up was

when I was eight. When I was

ten I made handbags out of

recycled fabrics. At eleven I

set goals with my family to

become a fashion designer

and artist, and at the age of

twelve I started selling my

handbags at the Koorie night

markets around Melbourne.

In VCE I studied fashion

design and straight after high

school in 2013 I started my

own business. I launched with

a collection on a runway in

Sydney in 2014.

Without any experience at

all, I had to learn (and am still

learning) along the way. I am

so grateful to my incredible

parents for learning alongside

me, and to my siblings and

the rest of my family for all

their support. I’m also grateful

to the amazing people I have

met over the years in the

industry – their continued

support and guidance has

been life-changing.

Some of my highlights so

far include being featured

in Vogue Australia’s 60th

anniversary issue in 2019,

having my designs worn at

red carpet events, being

recognised as David Jones’

first ever ‘Emerging Designer’

in 2018 and meeting with

some of the most influential

people in the fashion industry

globally including Anna

Wintour, Edward Enninful and

Tommy Hilfiger.


My family – in particular the

women who hold themselves

with such grace and elegance

regardless of the situation –

definitely inspires my designs.

The resilience of my mobs and

their stories that have been

passed down always inspire

me to keep on creating and

pushing through obstacles.

Lastly, I can never get enough

inspiration from Country and

it is the place in which I love

to create most. The beauty,

colours, textures and my

spiritual connection to my

Ancestral lands are a constant

source of inspiration.



I envision an Australian fashion

industry which recognises

the rich culture and Country

it benefits from, in which

Aboriginal narrative is a

major influence throughout

the industry. I see ethical

and sustainable practices

becoming the base line in

every facet of the industry.

I see cultural diversity

throughout, from models to

designers, creative directors,

suppliers, and shop owners.

This will help us to redefine

what is considered ‘beautiful’

in Australia’s eyes. I can

see the Australian Fashion

Industry being a safe space for

ALL! I’d like to see a fashion

industry that influences many

other industries. I can see the

positive impact we can have

if we all have the goal to make

the industry the best that it

can be.


I’m working on a few

collaborations with different

brands, including Vogue.

I continue to develop my

own brand, as well as my

girls program ‘Fasheaming’.

I will keep expanding my

storytelling platform through

styling, creative direction,

online outlets and more.

36

Lyn-Al Young Collection. Courtesy of the

artist. Photographer: Lucas Dawson.

Margaret Rarru

What is Rarru’s language group?

Liyagawumirr-Garrawurra.

Tell us about Rarru’s practice and

her journey to get to this point.

Rarru’s artistic career

began as a young girl who

demonstrated a keen interest

in weaving. Her interest was

nurtured by her family who

shared their immense skill

and knowledge of making

functional, aesthetic and

ceremonial objects. She

has developed her craft

throughout her life and has

contributed greatly to the

appreciation of fibre as a

contemporary art form.

Today Rarru is a senior

artist and master weaver at

Milingimbi Art and Culture

Centre. She is represented in

most major public collections

across the country (and is

prominently featured in the

National Gallery of Victoria

Collection) as well as some

international collections. Rarru

is a respected Elder amongst

her community and a highly

regarded contemporary artist.

She speaks little English,

however she engages with

the Balanda (European) world

through her art practice

and has become well

known for her Madonna

Bra Bathi (baskets) and

wearable pieces as well as

her minimalist forms Mindirr

Mol (black dilly bags).

Whilst the technique of

immersion dyeing has been

widely practiced in Arnhem

Land since the arrival of

missionaries, the recipe for

creating black dye from local

plants was discovered by

Rarru. Yolŋu weavers respect

Rarru as the owner of Mol

(black) and whilst they may

know the recipe and use small

amounts of Mol in their work,

the singular use of Mol is

reserved for Rarru and those

she gives permission to.

Rarru’s art practice also

includes painting with ochre

on woven forms, bark and

ceremonial poles. In 2007

Rarru won the Telstra National

Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Art Award in the

bark painting category, for

her work Ŋarra Body Paint

Design, a subtle piece of

vertical triangles and circular

motifs that represents Rarru’s

homeland of Garriyak, sacred

waterholes and the journey of

the Dhan’kawu sisters.

What or who inspires Rarru?

Rarru is inspired by her

materials, cultural legacy and

surroundings. She grew up

with her family in the bush

and has extensive knowledge

and skills of bush medicines,

food, hunting, harvesting

and ceremony. Today Rarru

lives with her extended family

at her mother’s homeland

of Langarra. Langarra is

a remote island off the

coast of Arnhem Land east

of Milingimbi.

Amid the unhurried and

plentiful environment of

Langarra, Rarru continues

to create new forms from

locally harvested plant fibre

gunga ga balgurr, also known

as pandanus and kurrajong.

Rarru’s iconic Madonna Bra

Bathi works are inspired

by the 1980’s ‘Queen of

Pop’, Madonna.

Rarru is also inspired by

the artists that she works

alongside daily. These

include her sister, Helen

Ganalmirriwuy and niece,

Mandy Batjula. The processes

of harvesting and preparing

natural materials are labour

intensive and not a solo

pursuit. The rhythm at the

camp of Rarru and her family

is set by these processes

– their days revolve around

material preparations:

harvesting raw materials and

firewood, stripping pandanus,

beating kurrajong, collecting

roots, leaves and bark for

dyes, tending to fires and pots

of dye, sorting and storing

materials ready for weaving.

What is Rarru’s vision for the future?

Rarru hopes that her family

will continue to learn from

her and to develop their own

artistic careers.

What is she working on next?

Rarru recently completed

a large commission for the

38

Margaret Rarru, Madonna bathi 2015.

Pandanus, kurrajong and natural dyes.

Courtesy of the artist and Artinterface.

Queensland Art Gallery

and Gallery of Modern Art,

Brisbane. She has upcoming

exhibitions at the National

Gallery of Australia, Canberra

(curated by Hetti Perkins), the

Art Gallery of South Australia

(curated by Nici Cumpston),

Outstation Gallery, Darwin and

Cross Arts, Sydney. These

exhibitions will showcase

Rarru’s broad artistic oeuvre

including her renowned

Mol Mindirr (black conical

baskets), various Garrawurra

body paint designs painted

on bark, woven forms and

works on paper. She will also

be making a Dhormala – a

Macassan style sail made

from pandanus.

The information in this interview has

been provided by Margaret Rarru,

translated by Ruth Nalmakarra and

written by Rosita Holmes.

39

Teagan Collishaw


My kinship lies with the Bardi

people of Ardyaloon (One

Arm Point) in the Kimberleys,

Western Australia on my

grandmother’s side (family

name: Hunter). On my

grandfather’s side (family

name: Jan) I am a descendant

from the Gypsy Chinese

pirates of Shanghai.

I was born in Darwin, Northern

Territory, but grew up between

Darwin, Broome and Perth.

My Indigenous heritage is the

inspiration behind the name of

my label, AARLI, which means

‘fish’ in Bardi language.



I am a visual artist who

specialises in producing

upcycled canvas paintings

using mixed media and

recycled materials.

I had an interest in fashion

from an early age. From

playing dress-up in vintage

clothes with my drag-queen

godparents, to modelling with

kids in remote communities

when my mum was

coordinating fashion events.

Participation in the Australian

Indigenous Fashion Week in

2014 was a catalyst for my

transition from visual artist

to fashion designer and the

establishment of deadstock

partnerships with Nobody

Denim and OCC Apparel.

In 2015 I participated in the

British Council’s mentorship

program, ACCELERATE. In

2018 I was selected as part of

the 2018 Blak Design Matters

exhibition in Melbourne and

in 2019 I was represented at

Melbourne Fashion Week’s

First Nations Fashion Future

pop up capsule.


At a young age I was lucky

enough to witness the

emergence of the Indigenous

fashion industry through

designs by Ron Gidgup, Lenore

Dembski, and Linda Jackson.

These designers continue to

inspire me to this day.

My passion for upcycling

influenced me to establish

deadstock partnerships

to help prevent landfill by

designing custom garments

and deadstock apparel

utilising discarded materials.

I believe it is my duty to

incorporate these elements

into my designs – to rethink,

reuse and recycle, paying

respect to my Ancestors and

committing to sustainability

and preservation of Country

for our next generation.

I want my designs to empower

the next generation by using

Aboriginal slang and terms

that they can connect with –

for example, by incorporating

words such as ‘deadly’ into

our apparel and streetwear

designs. ‘Deadly’ is Aboriginal

Australian slang for ‘awesome’

or ‘great’.



First Nations fashion is the

future of fashion in Australia

not just a hot trend. I have a

vision that First Nation fashion

and design won’t be a side

project but the main feature at

every major event and taught

in universities as part of

the curriculum.

I am on a mission to educate

and change the industry to

become self-sustainable and

independent. This is what

I want to see for the future

of First Nations fashion and

design in Australia.


At the end of 2019, I took

on the role of National

Coordinator of First Nations

Fashion Council. I am proud

to be part of a movement

that will be contributing to the

growth and development that

shapes the industry. In March

2020, I was invited to be on

the Board of Directors as part

of the First Nation Fashion

Council. It is a 100 percent

First Nation owned and run

not-for-profit organisation.

I will also be launching a

fashion collaboration, AARLI x

Mimmim, upcycling bedsheets

into sleepwear. More

information on the launch date

will be coming soon.

40

Pages 41-43: Teagan Cowlishaw, Deadly

kween jumpsuit 2019. Remnant cushion

with black and gold sequin, upcycled

faulty deadly t-shirt, upcycled organic

silk, permaset aqua metallic gold lustre

vinyl print. Courtesy of AARLI, Clair

Helen and Asha Sym.

44

MIART Collection, Cairns Indigenous

Art Fair 2017. Model: Amy Loogatha.

Photographer: Tim Ashton.

Spotlight Biographies

Elisa Jane Carmichael

Quandamooka woman

Elisa Jane Carmichael is

a multidisciplinary artist

who honours her salt-water

heritage by incorporating

materials collected from

Country, embracing traditional

techniques, and expressing

contemporary adaptations

through painting, weaving

and textiles. She comes

from a family of artists and

curators, and works closely

with her female kin to revive,

nurture and preserve cultural

knowledge and practice.

Elisa is a descendant of

the Ngugi people, one of

three clans who are the

traditional custodians

of Quandamooka, also

known as Yoolooburrabee

– people of the sand and

sea. Quandamooka Country

comprises the waters

and lands of and around

Moreton Bay in southeast

Queensland.

practice that blends new

techniques with materials that

acknowledge, nurture and

protect her culture and the

resources of Quandamooka

Country. Through her

unique explorations into

contemporary Quandamooka

weaving and vivacious use

of colour and materials,

her distinctive works are

becoming recognised by

esteemed industry colleagues

across the country. Elisa’s

work is held in many private

and public collections in

Australia, including the

Queensland Art Gallery and

Gallery of Modern Art, UQ Art

Museum, QUT Art Museum,

Queensland Museum, and the

National Gallery of Victoria.

Elisa draws upon her practice

to reflect on visual ancestral

experiences of Quandamooka

Bujong Djara [Mother Earth]

to share the beauty, power,

and importance of Minjerribah

[North Stradbroke Island].

Elisa has upcoming

exhibitions at the Institute of

Modern Art, Brisbane and in

Vancouver, Canada as well as

a range of interstate shows

and public art commissions

on her 2020 horizon. She

is further developing her

46

Elisa Jane Carmichael Collection,

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2017.

Photographer: Tim Ashton.

47

48

Elisa Jane Carmichael, By the sea 2018.

Raffia, rope, sea ropes, twine, wire

and fish scales. Courtesy of the artist

and Onespace gallery. Photographer:

Louis Lim.

“Being on saltwater Country by the

sea it’s important to wear a hat to

protect yourself from the sun. This

hat was inspired by my research

into the history of Australian

fashion. This hat is in response to

Akubra’s being recognised as one of

Australia’s key forms of fashion. I

wove this hat using the techniques of

coiling and looping acknowledging

our weaving practices which also

need to be recognised in the history

of Australian dress.”


49

Bernadette Watt

Bernadette Watt was born

in Mount Isa, and her island

home is Mornington Island,

(Baralkis). She moved to

Groote Eylandt with her family

when she was seven years

old. Bernadette learnt how to

paint from her brothers who

also taught her the stories

behind the paintings.

I would watch how they did

paintings of the Wurlywin

Man, Brolga Lady, rats and

squid. I still paint some of

those stories now because of

my dad Arnold Watt. He

was a great artist and I just

want to be like my dad.

When I first moved to Groote

Eylandt with my mum and my

stepfather Eric Amagula,

he raised me up to be the

person that I want to be –

strong with belief in myself.

Bernadette paints and

makes jewellery, plant dyes

and screenprints. She enjoys

doing everything with the

women in her community.

50

We go out to Umbakumba

community on the other side

of the Eylandt, to Malkala

[an outstation] and fly to

Milyakburra on Bickerton

Island to dye with other

women. Sometimes we visit

aged care too. The old ladies

there like to do dyeing. Dyeing

is good fun. It makes the

women come together and

chat while we dye. They really

enjoy doing it.

We go out and collect old

steel, dig out plant roots for

the yellow dye and collect

other leaves to make the black

colour. We then come back to

the Arts Centre, crunch

up the leaves and wrap the

fabric tightly around bits of

steel. Then we boil up two

billies, one with the yellow dye

and another for black. When

they have been in the dye long

enough we wash them out

and hang them to dry outside

the community.

I love living here in Angurugu.

It’s a good place with

friendly people you can

look up to. It’s a nice place.

My children grew up on

Milyakburra, a community

on Bikkerton Island just off

the coast of Groote Eylandt.

There are lots of lovely fishing

spots around Groote Eylandt

and Bikkerton Island. I also

love working at the Arts

Centre here, doing dyeing and

screenprinting.

My artwork with my Auntie

Annabell Amagula was

nominated for a 2018 Telstra

Art Award. Making this film

was very hard work for both of

us. But we enjoyed it and we

are so proud of what we have

done together, working with

the two communities and

the artists Naina Sen and Aly

de Groot.

Page 51: Maicie Lalara, Pink dress 2018.

Plant dyes, recycled sari silk. Courtesy of

the artist and Anindilyakwa Arts. Model:

Nelitta. Photographer: Anna Reynolds.

Page 52: Bernadette Watt. Mangrove

dress 2018. Handwoven silk, plant

dyes, sari silk. Courtesy of the artist

and Anindilyakwa Arts. Photographer:

Anna Reynolds.

Page 53: Elsie Bara, Men’s silk shirt

and net screen-printed jeans 2019. Silk,

recycled jeans. Courtesy of the artist and

Anindilyakwa Arts.

Annabell Amagula, Black string bag

2019. Plant fibres, bush dye. Courtesy

of the artist and Anindilyakwa Arts.

Model: Kenny Mamarika. Photographer:

Ben Ward.

Trudy Inkamala

Trudy Inkamala was born at

Hamilton Downs, north-west

of Alice Springs in 1940. Her

father worked in the garden

at Hamilton Downs Station

growing vegetables for the

youth camp. Trudy says it was

a happy place to live. She

remembers helping her Nanna

gather the wood so they could

do all the washing. She helped

her Nanna cook bullock meat

every day for the station.

When Trudy went to school

at Ntaria (Hermannsburg) she

met her husband who she

lived with at Jay Creek, which

is also her Country. Trudy’s

Country runs from Standley

Chasm all the way to old Glen

Helen Station. As a kid she

would go into this beautiful

Country with her family. They

would pick bush tucker and

her grandmother Laddy would

teach her all the stories from

that place.

kids of Alice Springs. Since

her husband passed away in

2014 Trudy has travelled every

day on the school bus to work

alongside her sister Dulcie

Sharpe at the art centre. She

says that doing art is her new

joy, and a way forward for

the kids.

Trudy is an important and

respected Elder in her

community. She is a role

model and spokeswoman for

her people. Along with her

mother, her two sisters and

‘some other strong people’

she set up Yipirinya School

to celebrate and nurture the

54

Page 55: Rosabella Ryder, Maurice

Petrick, Take me dancing! skirt, top

and earrings 2019. Silk, wool, cotton.

Rhonda Sharpe, Dilly bag 2019. Bush

dyed woollen blanket, cotton, wool, rope.

Model: Lekita Malbunka. © Maurice

Petrick, Cornelius Ebatarinja, Quincy

Stevens, Dennis Brown, Desart and


Pages 56 and 57: Trudy Inkamala,

Beautiful, all my ideas, dress, bag,

necklace, head piece, earrings 2019.

Cotton, calico, woollen blanket, wool.

Model: Helen. © Maurice Petrick,

Cornelius Ebatarinja, Quincy Stevens,

Dennis Brown, Desart and Yarrenyty

Arltere Artists.

Shannon Brett

Shannon Brett is a Wakka

Wakka, Butchulla and

Gurang Gurang designer and

founder of the label LORE,

currently based in Brisbane,

Queensland. Shannon works

predominantly as a curator

and arts manager, but is

also a skilled designer and

artist. Her artistic education

began with a traineeship

in fashion design followed

by qualifications in graphic

design. She then undertook

a Bachelor of Contemporary

Australian Indigenous Art

at Queensland College of

Art, Griffith University and

postgraduate studies in Arts

Management at the University

of New England.

has since been presented in

various runway shows and

exhibitions including London

Pacific Fashion Week (2018),

Melbourne Fashion Week

(2019) and Indigenous Design

Now at Parliament House,

Canberra (2019). LORE has

also featured in numerous

publications and social media

platforms internationally.

Shannon’s high regard

for fashion and culture is

demonstrated in the bold

statements delivered by

LORE. Stories are dynamically

printed onto lush fabrics

to produce comfortable

yet sophisticated clothing

– these elements are the

primary fundamentals of the

label. LORE was created in

2016 and was first shown

on the runway at a fashion

performance at the Darwin

Aboriginal Art Fair. LORE

58

Shannon Brett, Femme gem, top, skirt,

shawl and bag 2020. Hand painted

ink on fabric. Courtesy of the artist.

Model: Perry Mooney. Photographer:

Shannon Brett.

Peggy Griffiths

Senior Miriwoong artist

Peggy Griffiths responds to

the cultural custodianship

handed to her by her mother

and grandfather through an

arts practice that elegantly

documents the environment

and her place within it.

Born in 1948 on her Country in

the remote Kimberley region

of Northern Australia, Peggy

grew up learning from her

cultural leaders while working

as a housemaid on Newry

Station. She experienced

many of the tragedies

affecting Kimberley Aboriginal

people as a result of welfare

policies and police raids. With

deep green eyes revealing her

mixed ancestry she narrowly

escaped capture by being

cleverly hidden by her mother.

Finally, the Pastoral Industries

1968 equal pay legislation,

which inadvertently forced

many Aboriginal people from

their Country, caused Peggy

and her family to move to

the fringes of the township

of Kununurra.

At sixteen Peggy was married

to her promised husband,

Mr A. Griffiths. Together they

supported their family through

art-making and odd jobs,

sharing a long and meaningful

relationship committed to

cultural practice, ceremonial

performance and teaching.

Working alongside each other

since the establishment of

Waringarri Aboriginal Arts in

the early 1980s, they engraved

boab nuts, made artefacts

and painted. After progressing

to ochre painting on canvas

and working with limited

edition prints, Peggy became

the first Indigenous artist to

win the prestigious Fremantle

Print Award in 1995. Returning

to live on her Country in 2010,

she remains committed to

her practice.

Today Peggy is a highly

respected Elder, artist

and cultural advisor. Her

artworks have been collected


She has held a Director’s

role consistently on the

Waringarri Arts Board since

the mid 1990s guiding the

organisation’s success. In

2018 Peggy was granted

a Fellowship from the

Department of Culture and

the Arts in Western Australia

to pursue her interest in

multi-disciplinary arts. More

recently an installation of her

work including ochre painting,

ceramics and animation was

included in the Art Gallery of

South Australia’s Tarnanthi

exhibition in 2019.

Peggy is an important

mentor for younger artists.

Her cultural leadership

and knowledge sharing is

exemplified through her

fundamental involvement in

Waringarri Arts’ textiles and

couture fashion projects

supporting younger artists to

gain valuable skills, cultural

knowledge and confidence to

follow in her footsteps.

60

Pages 61 - 63: Peggy Griffiths,

Delany Griffith, Anita Churchill, Cathy

Ward, Kelly-Anne Drill, Legacy Dress

2019. Hand-block printed linen and

cotton. Courtesy of the artists and

Waringarri Arts. Model: Peggy Griffiths.

Photographers: Grace Lillian Lee and

Chris Baker.

Eva Ponting

Eva Ponting is a proud

Gunditjmara woman, mother,

nanna, aunt, sister wife

and friend from the Rose

mob. She started studying

at GOTAFE Shepparton in

2007. It was in these Koorie

art classes at TAFE that her

artistic journey began. Eva’s

practice includes weaving,

painting, jewellery, linoprints

and etching. She completed

a diploma in graphic design

at TAFE and has become a

professional artist over the

past three years. In 2012, she

undertook an Indigenous Arts

Residency at the Shepparton

Art Museum for seven

months, where she facilitated

groups and delivered public

programs as part of the

Indigenous Ceramic Award.

Eva is a senior artist at

Kaiela Arts and works for the

gallery to facilitate weaving

workshops across community.

She is serious about

developing her professional

networks and reputation as

an artist and committed to

the cultural development of

her community.

In recent years, Eva has

explored techniques of

eco-dyeing using natural

64

plant and fibre materials.

Her collaborative Bull Ant

Fascinator design with fellow

Yorta Yorta artist Suzanne

Atkinson was shown at the

Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair

Country to Couture runway

in 2019.

Eva’s weaving was recently

showcased in the Koorie

Heritage Trust exhibition

Kaiela- Dungala / Vessels of

Life, 2020.

Page 65: Suzanne Atkinson, Eva Ponting,

Karin Berg (collaborator), Wendy Crowe

(collaborator), Ithitha bull ant dress and

fascinator 2019. Linen fabric screen

printed with charcoal pigment, red

gum fallen timber, dyed raffia. Model:

Jamie-Lee Hindmarsh. Photographer:

Angie Russi.

Page 66: Tammy-Lee Atkinson, Karin

Berg (collaborator), Wendy Crowe

(collaborator), Charcoal canoe dress

2019. Charcoal pigment screenprint

on linen fabric. Courtesy of Kaiela

Arts Shepparton.

Page 67: Suzanne Atkinson, Tammy-

Lee Atkinson, Karin Berg (collaborator),

Wendy Crowe (collaborator), Kangaroo

leather vest and charcoal print pants

2019. Screenprint on kangaroo

leather, charcoal pigment screenprint

on linen fabric. Courtesy of Kaiela

Arts Shepparton.

List of works

Works are arranged in alphabetical

order by artist and chronologically

within each artist’s listing. Text

located below the artist name refers

to the artist’s applicable language

group/s. The use of c. for circa

indicates a two-year window either

side of the central date.

Annabell Amagula

Anindilyakwa, born 1965

Bush dress 2018

plant fibres, recycled sari silk

Bendigo Art Gallery Collection, 2020

2020.176

Annabell Amagula


Ghost net bag 2018

plant dyes, recycled sari silk


2020.168

Annabell Amagula


Black string bag 2019

plant fibres, bush dye


2020.169

Arkie Barton

Kalkadunga, born 1994

Rainbow dreaming dress 2015

sublimation digital print on polyester

taffeta

Courtesy of the artist

Arkie Barton


Dreamtime jacket 2015

bonded metallic with sublimation

digital print and applique felt

lettering


Arkie Barton


Spinifex flares 2015

sublimation digital print on polyester

taffeta


Bede Tungatalum (print design)

Tiwi, born 1952

Heather Wallace (designer)

Australia, born 1960

Robyn Trott (designer)


Wedding dress and underskirt as

worn by Miranda Tapsell in Top End

Wedding 2018

screenprint on fabric

Courtesy Goalpost Pictures

Bernadette Watt


Mangrove dress 2018

handwoven silk, plant dyes, sari silk


2020.174.a-b

Bernadette Watt


Golden dress 2019

plant dyes, silk


2020.175

Bernadette Watt


Pandanus fascinator 2019

pandanus fibres, plant dyes, silk


2020.165

Birmuyingathi Maali Netta

Loogatha

Kaiadilt, born c. 1942

Dibirdibi Elsie Gabori


Grace Lillian Lee (collaborator)

Meriam Mir, born 1988

Burrkunda, dress 2017

synthetic polymer paint on cotton

National Gallery of Victoria,

Melbourne

Purchased with funds donated by

Krystyna Campbell-Pretty, 2017

2017.1238

Birmuyingathi Maali Netta

Loogatha


Helena Gabori

Kaiadilt, born 1963

Agnes Kohler

Kaiadilt, born 1952






Melbourne



2017.1231

Candida Mamarika


Seed and shell necklace 2019

seeds and shells


2020.163

Candida Mamarika



seeds and shells


2020.164

Daisy Hamlot

Thuupi Warra, born 1937

Gudar (community dogs), dress and

hat 2019

linen


2020.192.a-b

Daisy Ngawaia Nalyirri

Mudburra/Gurindji, born c. 1926–

1997

Earrings c. 1994

hand painted on natural plant fibres

with silver bail

Collection Beverly Knight

Deborah Kamanj Wurrkidj

Kuninjku, born 1971

Manwak (Mumeka blooms) 2017

screenprint on cotton


2020.182

69

Deborah Kamanj Wurrkidj

Kuninjku, born 1971

Mankurndalh (bush plum) dress 2019

screenprint on silk (printed

by Babbarra Women’s Centre

Maningrida, sewn by Raw Cloth,

Darwin)

Collection, Bendigo Art Gallery

Purchase, 2020

2020.177.a-b

Dibirdibi Amanda Jane Gabori

Kaiadilt, born 1966

Rayarriwarrtharrbayingathi

Mingungurra Amy Loogatha

Kaiadilt, born 1946

Alison Kirstin Goongarra

Kaiadilt, born 1984

Helena Gabori

Kaiadilt, born 1963






Melbourne



2017.1232

Dolly Thunduyingathui Bangaa

Loogatha


Dibirdibi Amanda Jane Gabori

Kaiadilt, born 1966

Helena Gabori

Kaiadilt, born 1963

Dibirdibi Elsie Gabori







Melbourne



2017.1237

70

Dorothy Gabori

Kaiadilt, born 1959

Rayarriwarrtharrbayingathi

Mingungurra Amy Loogatha

Kaiadilt, born 1946

Alison Kirstin Goongarra

Kaiadilt, born 1984

Agnes Kohler

Kaiadilt, born 1952






Melbourne



2017.1229


Ngugi, born 1987

Coil dress, jacket and woven neck

adornment 2017

ungaire (freshwater swamp reeds),

palm, cotton, shells, yarn, recycled

jersey and digitally printed cotton

Collection of Elisa Jane Carmichael

and Jasper Coleman


Ngugi, born 1987

Twined dress 2017

recycled jersey


and Jasper Coleman


Ngugi, born 1987

By the sea 2018

raffia, rope, sea ropes, twine, wire

and fish scales


2020.188


Ngugi, born 1987

Neck adornment #1 2018

sea ropes, recycled ropes and metal


Gallery


Ngugi, born 1987

Neck adornment #2 2018

sea ropes, recycled ropes, metal

and oyster shells


Gallery


Ngugi, born 1987

Ungaire bracelet 2019

ungaire (freshwater swamp reeds)


and Jasper Coleman

Elizabeth Kala Kala

Mayali/Kriol/Gun-nartpa/

Rembarrnga, born 1970

Dedded Wongkorr (red-collared

lorikeet feather dillybag) dress 2019




Darwin)


2020.179.a-b

Elsie Bara


Mabalba string bag 2018

plant fibres, plant dyes


2020.170

Elsie Bara


Men’s silk shirt and net screenprinted

jeans 2019

silk, recycled jeans


2020.173.a-b

Elsie Bara


Pandanus necklace 2019

plant dyes, pandanus, shells


2020.166

Esmae Bowen

Gugu Thaypan, born c. 1956

Buthaya (bush lady apples), top and

skirt 2019

silk organza, cotton


2020.193.a-b

Eva Nganjmirra

Kunwinjku, born 1973

Waterlilies design 2020

linen


2020.151

Evonne Munuyngu

Mandhalpuy, born 1960

Woven belt wide (yellow/brown/

white) 2019

pandanus

Courtesy of MAARA Collective and

Bula’bula Aboriginal Art Centre

Evonne Munuyngu


Woven belt narrow (yellow/brown/

white) 2019

pandanus



Evonne Munuyngu


Woven bucket hat (multi-col) 2019

pandanus



Fay Carter

Dja Dja Wurrung/Yorta Yorta, born

1935

Emu feather cloak 2018

emu feathers and hessian fabric

Collection Rodney Carter

Ginger Riley Munduwalawala

Marra, 1936–2002

Earrings c. 1990


with gold bail and coral stone


Ginger Riley Munduwalawala

Marra, 1936–2002

Earrings c. 1990


with gold bail and coral stone


Grace Lillian Lee


A weave of reflection – 1/5 2018

cotton webbing, cane, goose

feathers, cotton yarn


2020.148

Grace Lillian Lee






2020.189

Grace Lillian Lee






2020.190

Grace Lillian Lee


Hibiscus sunrise – 1/4 2018

cotton webbing, assorted beads

and corals, canvas, cotton drill,

permaset paint


2020.19.a-d

Grace Rosendale

Guugu Yimithirr, born 1946

Seedpods dress 2019

silk organza, elastic, sequinned

fabric


2020.195

Grace Rosendale


Seedpods top and pants 2019

linen


2020.194.a-b

Jan Griffiths

Miriwoong/Ngarinyman, born 1971

Waterlily dress 2019

hand-block printed cotton and linen,

canvas, polycotton


2020.205.a-d

Jennifer Wurrkidj

Kuninjku, born 1973

Kururrk Kare (going underground)

dress and jacket 2019




Darwin)


2020.178.a-b

Joy Garrangarr

Guyula, born 1964

Bathi (basket) 1994

balk palk (fibre string), gunga

(pandanus), natural dyes


Melbourne

Purchased through The Art

Foundation of Victoria with the

assistance of the Alcoa Foundation,

Governor, 1994

O.146-1994

Julie Shaw

Yuwaalaraay, born 1975

Ombre strapless dress (white/yellow)

2019

silk with cotton trim, ombre dip-dye

Courtesy of Julie Shaw and MAARA

Collective

Julie Shaw


Ombre maxi dress with woven yoke

detail (white/yellow) 2019

silk and rayon


Collective

Julie Shaw


Ombre maxi dress (white/yellow)

2019

silk


Collective

Kelly Koumalatsos

Wergaia/Wamba Wamba, born 1961

Earrings c. 1994

feathers, metal

Courtesy of the Koorie Heritage

Trust Collection

Lee Darroch

Yorta Yorta/Mutti Mutti/Boon

Wurrung, born 1960

Wallaby cloaklet c. 2012

wallaby skin, pokerwork, ochre

Courtesy of the Koorie Heritage

Trust Collection

71

Lisa Waup (designer)

Gunditjmara/Torres Strait Islander,

born 1971

Ingrid Verner (designer)


VERNER, Melbourne (fashion house)

est. 2012

Continuity, suit 2019, Journeys

collection, spring-summer 2019-20

screenprinted cotton


Melbourne

Purchased, Victorian Foundation for

Living Australian Artists, 2020

2020.168.a-b



born 1971




est. 2012

Continuity, earrings 2020, Journeys

collection, spring-summer 2019–20

screenprinted fabric, fabric, feathers

(emu, parrot), cotton (thread), wool

(yarn, wadding), sterling silver


Melbourne



2020.171.a-b



born 1971




est. 2012

Neckpiece 2020

polyester, screenprinted fabric,

feathers (emu, parrot), cotton

(thread), wool (yarn, wadding), bone,

shell


Melbourne



2020.173



born 1971




est. 2012

Continuity coveralls – continuity print

2020, Journeys collection, springsummer

2019–20

printed cotton on canvas


2020.197



born 1971




est. 2012

Continuity neckpiece – continuity

print 2020, Journeys collection,

spring-summer 2019–20

printed cotton on canvas,

possum fur


2020.200



born 1971




est. 2012

Continuity earrings – continuity print


2019–20



2020.202.a-b



born 1971




est. 2012

Totems pant – tracing history print


2019–20



2020.199



born 1971




est. 2012

New frill dress – tracing history print


2019–20

printed cotton


2020.198



born 1971




est. 2012

Tracing history earrings –

tracing history print 2020,

Journeys collection, spring-summer

2019–20



2020.203.a-b



born 1971




est. 2012

Tracing history neckpiece

– tracing history print 2020,

Journeys collection, spring-summer

2019–20

printed cotton on canvas, feathers


2020.201

Lorraine Connelly-Northey

Waradgerie, born 1962

Narrbong (string bag) 2005

wire mesh, echidna quills


Melbourne

Purchased with funds donated

by Supporters and Patrons of

Indigenous Art, 2005

2005.474

72




wire, wire mesh


Melbourne




2005.471




wire, wire mesh


Melbourne




2005.462

Lucy Bara



seeds and shells


2020.162

Lyn-Al Young

Gunnai/Wiradjuri/Gunditjmara/

Yorta Yorta, born 1995

Towera 2020

hand painted silk and leather

Forthcoming acquisition for Bendigo

Art Gallery, 2020

Lyn-Al Young



Ngoorntook 2020

hand painted silk and netted fabric


Art Gallery, 2020

Lyn-Al Young


Yorta Yorta born 1995

Banga 2020

hand painted tussah silk


Art Gallery, 2020

Lyn-Al Young



Yarraga 2020

hand painted silks


Art Gallery, 2020

Lyn-Al Young



Songline 2020

hand painted linen silk, silk rayon and

printed cotton


Art Gallery, 2020

Maicie Lalara


Pink dress 2018

plant dyes, recycled sari silk


2020.172.a-d

Maree Clarke

Mutti Mutti/Wamba Wamba/Yorta

Yorta/Boonwurrung, born 1961

Large multi-tooth necklace c 2018

plastic, tooth, gold, seeds

Courtesy of the Koorie Heritage Trust

Collection

Maree Clarke



Black crow feather necklace c 2018

plastic, heart seeds


Collection

Maree Clarke



Earrings c 1987

Mulga wood, echidna quills, metal


Collection

Margaret Malibirr

Ganalbingu, born 1955

Wide-brim woven hat with raw edges

(multi-coloured) 2019

pandanus



Margaret Rarru

Dhuwal, born 1940

Madonna bra 2015

pandanus, kurrajong and natural dyes


and Jasper Coleman

Margaret Rarru

Dhuwal, born 1940

Madonna bathi 2015

pandanus, kurrajong and natural dyes

Courtesy of the artist and Artinterface

Marilyne Nicholls

Dja Dja Wurrung/Yorta Yorta/Baraba

Baraba/Wadi Wadi/Jupagulk, born

1957

Scoop basket 2019

freshwater sedge


2020.204

Marlene Rubuntja

Arrernte, born 1961

Roxanne Oliver

Eastern Arrernte and Alyawarr, born

1977

Wrapped up in our art, pant, singlet,

scarf and soft sculpture 2019

cotton, wool, bush dyed woollen

blanket, Belgian Linen


2020.209.a-c

Mary Dhapalany


Wide-brim woven hat (multi-coloured)

2019

pandanus



Melba Ngarridjdjan Gunjarrwanga

Kuninjku, born 1959

Wak (black crow Dreaming) 2017

screenprint on cotton and linen


2020.186

73

Peggy Griffiths

Miriwoong, born 1950

Delany Griffiths


Anita Churchill


Cathy Ward


Kelly-Anne Drill

Gija, born 1988

Legacy dress, hat, necklace 2019

hand-block printed cotton and linen,

ceramic jewellery


2020.206.a-e

Peggy Napangardi Jones

Walpiri/Warumungu, born c.

1951–2014

Brooch c. 1998

hand painted on wood


Priscilla Badari


Lynne Nadjowh


Sylvia Badari


Katra Ngabjmirra


Dilly bag design 2020

Linen


2020.150

Rhonda Sharpe

Luritja, born 1977

Dilly bag 2019

bush-dyed woollen blanket, cotton,

wool, rope


2020.211

Rodney Carter


1965

Possum skin cloak 2001

possum skins, natural pigments


Rodney Carter


1965

Kangaroo skin cloak 2017

kangaroo pelt


Rosabella Ryder

Arrernte, born 1975

No waste dilly bag 2019

Belgian linen


2020.210

Rosabella Ryder

Arrernte, born 1975

Maurice Petrick

Arrernte/Alyawarr, born 1973

Take me dancing! top, skirt and

earrings 2019

silk, wool, cotton


2020.208.a-d

Selina Nadjowh


Dilly bags and bush foods design

2020

cotton


2020.149

Shannon Brett

Wakka Wakka/Butchulla/Gurang

Gurang, born 1973

Femme gem, dress 2020

hand painted ink on fabric


2020.216

Shannon Brett


Gurang, born 1973

Femme gem, pants, top and bag

2020



2020.214.a-c

Shannon Brett


Gurang born 1973

Femme gem, top, skirt shawl and

bag 2020



2020.215.a-d

Sharna Wurramara


Ghost net basket 2019

ghost net, plant dyes, fabric


2020.171

Suzanne Atkinson (designer)


Eva Ponting (designer)

Gunditjmara, born 1965

Karin Berg (collaborator)


Wendy Crowe (collaborator)


Ithitha bull ant dress and fascinator

2019

linen fabric screenprinted with

charcoal pigment, red gum fallen

timber, dyed raffia (screenprinted

in collaboration with Spacecraft

Studio, Melbourne)


2020.155.1-2

Suzanne Atkinson (designer)


Tammy-Lee Atkinson (designer)






Kangaroo leather vest and charcoal

print pants 2019

screenprint on kangaroo leather,

charcoal pigment screenprint

on linen fabric (screenprinted in

collaboration with Spacecraft

Studio, Melbourne)


2020.153.1-2

Tammy Lalara


Golden dotty scarf 2019

plant dyes, silk


2020.167

Tammy-Lee Atkinson (designer)






Charcoal canoe dress 2019

charcoal pigment screenprint

on linen fabric (screenprinted in

collaboration with Spacecraft

Studio, Melbourne)


2020.154

74

Tashara Roberts

Dja Dja Wurrung/Yorta Yorta/

English/German, born 1979

Community Kinship 2020

Eucalyptus nuts, palm seeds,

melaleuca nuts on tiger tail


2020.219

Wanda Gibson


Magpie geese, jacket, pant and hat

2019

linen


2020.196.a-c

Tashara Roberts



Connection 2020

raffia string, river reed, quandong

seed, native sandalwood seed,

eucalyptus nuts, emu feathers,

corella feathers


2020.218

Tashara Roberts



Country 2020

eucalyptus nuts, quandong seeds

on native grass string


2020.217

Teagan Cowlishaw

Bardi, born 1984

Deadly kween jumpsuit 2019

Remnant cushion with black and

gold sequin, upcycled faulty deadly

t-shirt, upcycled organic silk,

permaset aqua metallic gold lustre

vinyl print


2020.152

Thelma Wanambi

Yolngu/Anindilyakwa, born 1954

String bag 2019

plant, dyes, bush string


2020.183

Trudy Inkamala

Western Arrernte/Luritja/English,

born 1940

Beautiful, all my ideas, dress, bag,

necklace, head piece, earrings 2019

cotton, calico, woollen blanket, wool


2020.207.a-g

75

Page 68: Annabell Amagula, Ghost

net bag 2018. Plant dyes, recycled

sari silk. Courtesy of the artist and

Anindilyakwa Arts.

Page 75: Sharna Wurramara, Ghost

net basket 2019. Ghost net, plant

dyes, fabric. Courtesy of the artist and

Anindilyakwa Arts.

Page 76: Lorraine Connelly-Northey,

Narrbong (string bag) 2005. Wire, wire

mesh. National Gallery of Victoria,

Melbourne. Purchased with funds

donated by Supporters and Patrons of

Indigenous Art, 2005 2005.471

Page 77: Joy Garrangarr, Bathi (basket)

1994. Balk palk (fibre string), gunga

(pandanus), natural dyes. National

Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

Purchased through The Art Foundation

of Victoria with the assistance of the

Alcoa Foundation, Governor, 1994

O.146-1994

Page 78: Lisa Waup x Verner, Continuity

coveralls and necklace – continuity print

2019-2020. Printed cotton on canvas.

Courtesy of Lisa Waup x Verner.

Page 79: Maree Clarke, Large

multi-tooth necklace 2018. Plastic, tooth,

gold, seeds. Courtesy of the Koorie

Heritage Trust Collection.

Page 80: Bernadette Watt, Golden dress

2019. Plant dyes, silk. Courtesy of the

artist and Anindilyakwa Arts. Tammy

Lalara, Golden dotty scarf 2019. Plant

dyes, silk. Courtesy of the artist and

Anindilyakwa Arts.

Page 81: Bernadette Watt, Pandanus

fascinator 2019. Pandanus fibres, plant

dyes, silk. Courtesy of the artist and

Anindilyakwa Arts.

Acknowledgements

Bendigo Art Gallery wishes to acknowledge the following

institutions and individuals for generously lending items

for the exhibition: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne;

Koorie Heritage Trust, Melbourne; Rodney Carter and Aunty

Fay Carter; Alison Hayes; Elisa Jane Carmichael and Jasper

Coleman; Julie Shaw and Bula’bula Arts; Arkie Barton;

Beverly Knight.

Thank you to the many contributors who have provided

insightful content to this catalogue in the form of

interviews, biographies and photographic images:

Phyllis Hobson, Rodney Carter, Grace Lillian Lee, Lyn-Al

Young, Julie Shaw and Bula’bula Arts, Lisa Waup, Ingrid

Verner, Teagan Cowlishaw, Margaret Rarru with coauthors

Ruth Nalmakarra and Rosita Holmes, Elisa Jane

Carmichael, Alison Hayes, Arkie Barton, Bernadette Watt,

Trudy Inkamala, Shannon Brett, Peggy Griffiths and Eva

Ponting, Rachel Young at the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair,

Cairns, Julia Rodwell at the National Gallery of Victoria,

Melbourne and Rebecca Mirams and Gail Harradine at the

Koorie Heritage Trust, Melbourne.

Page 82: Trudy Inkamala, Beautiful, all

my ideas, dress, bag, necklace and head

piece 2019. Cotton. Courtesy of the artist

and Yarrenyty Arltere Artists.

Page 83: Trudy Inkamala, Beautiful,

all my ideas, earrings 2019. Cotton.

Courtesy of the artist and Yarrenyty

Arltere Artists.

Page 84: Arkie Barton, Dreamtime jacket

2015. Bonded metallic with sublimation

digital print and applique felt lettering.

Model: Jessica Fernance. Photographer:

Charles Subitzky.

Page 85: Arkie Barton, Spinifex

flares 2015. Sublimation digital

print on polyester taffeta. Model:

Jessica Fernance. Photographer:

Charles Subitzky.

Page 86: Marlene Rubuntja, Roxanne

Oliver, Wrapped up in our art, pants,

singlet, scarf and soft sculpture 2019.

Cotton, wool, bush dyed woollen

blanket, Belgian linen. Courtesy of


Page 87: Maurice Petrick, Earrings 2019,

Wool, cotton, Belgian linen. Courtesy of

the artist and Yarrenyty Arltere Artists.

I would especially like to thank the exhibiting artists,

art centre managers and gallery coordinators for their

enthusiasm towards the exhibition and their timely

responses, in particular Melanie Gibson at Hope Vale Arts

and Culture Centre, Hope Vale; Leana Collier at Waringarri

Arts, Kununurra; Ingrid Johanson and Jessica Phillips at

Bábbarra Women’s Centre, Maningrida; Aly de Groot at

Anindilyakwa Arts, Groote Eylandt; Angie Russi at Kaiela

Arts, Shepparton; Kerri Meehan at Injalak Arts, Gunbalanya;

Sophie Wallace at Yarrenyty Arltere Artists, Alice Spring

and Alicia Hollier at Onespace Gallery, Brisbane.

Thanks to exhibition designer Megan Atkins for her vision

and enthusiastic collaboration, to catalogue editor, Kay

Campbell for her thorough and detailed copyediting, and

to Yanni Florence for designing a visually rich publication

that brings to life the stories, imagery and beauty of

contemporary Indigenous fashion.

My thanks also go to the Bendigo Art Gallery team for their

hard work, dedication and cultural sensitivity towards the

exhibition. A show of this scale and ambition could not have

been realised without their efforts.

Finally, I would like to thank my great grandmother Phyllis

and my mother Naomi for giving me cultural guidance and

knowledge about Kuuku Ya’u seasons and language words.

Shonae Hobson,

First Nations Curator

83

PIINPI


Bendigo Art Gallery

42 View street

Bendigo, Victoria 3550

www.bendigoartgallery.com.au

Published 2020

Copyright © Bendigo Art Gallery

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under

the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any

process without prior written permission.

Designed by Yanni Florence

Printed in Australia by Bambra

Photography by Ian Hill unless otherwise stated

Editing by Kay Campbell, The Comma Institute

NLA Cataloguing statement

ISBN: 978-0-949215-00-0

Acknowledgement of Country

The City of Greater Bendigo is on Dja Dja Wurrung and

Taungurung Country. We acknowledge and extend our

appreciation to the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung People,

the Traditional Owners of the land. We pay our respects to

leaders and Elders past, present and emerging for they hold the

memories, the traditions, the culture and the hopes of all Dja Dja

Wurrung and Taungurung Peoples. We express our gratitude in

the sharing of this land, our sorrow for the personal, spiritual and

cultural costs of that sharing and our hope that we may walk

forward together in harmony and in the spirit of healing.

Proudly owned and operated by the City of Greater Bendigo

with additional support provided by Creative Victoria

88

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Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous Fashion catalogue

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