Malaluba Gumana facts for kids
Malaluba Gumana, born in 1953, is a famous Australian Aboriginal artist. She comes from northeast Arnhem Land in Australia. She is well-known for her beautiful paintings and for making larrakitj. These are special memorial poles traditionally used by the Yolngu people in ceremonies.
Her artworks are kept in important places like the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She has won many awards for her bark paintings and 3D artworks. These awards include prizes from the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA). Her larrakitj are also part of the Kerry Stokes Larrakitj Collection. This collection has been shown at the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Sydney Biennale.
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About Malaluba Gumana
Malaluba Gumana was born in 1953. She grew up in a place called Gangan, in the Blue Mud Bay area of northeast Arnhem Land. She works with the Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre in Yirrkala. This is an art center run by Indigenous people in her community.
Her paintings often tell the story of the powerful Rainbow Serpent. The Yolngu people call this wititj, which means olive python. The story describes the serpent traveling through her mother's Gålpu clan lands. Malaluba mainly paints designs from the Gålpu clan. These designs show things like dhatam (water lily), djari (rainbow), djayku (file snake), and wititj (olive python). She uses a special painting style called marwat. This involves fine cross-hatching done with a hair brush. Only people with the right to certain designs are allowed to use them.
Gumana is also famous for making larrakitj. The Yolngu people used these poles in old funeral ceremonies. The larrakitj are made from stringy bark trees. Termites hollow out these trees. After dry-season fires, the trees are chosen and cut down. Then, they are smoothed and shaped. Artists paint them with ochres. Each larrakitj shows designs specific to a certain clan.
Her Art Career
From 2006, Malaluba Gumana started making bigger and more detailed artworks. Her art center encouraged her to do this. In 2007, her work was shown at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin. This was for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA).
In 2008, all her bark paintings and hollow logs sold out at an exhibition in Melbourne. Her dhatam (water lily) designs were chosen for T-shirts and other items for the Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures. By 2009, her larrakitj were part of the important Kerry Stokes Larrakitj Collection. This collection was shown at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth. It also appeared at the 17th Sydney Biennale at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2010.
In 2013, she won a NATSIAA award for Bark Painting. She won another NATSIAA award in 2019. This was the Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Award for her three-dimensional artwork.
Malaluba Gumana's art is part of the permanent collections at the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Her work is also in the Kerry Stokes' Larrakitj Collection. Other private collections, like Woodside Energy Ltd and the Estate of Kerry Packer, also own her art.
Artworks and Recognition
Exhibitions
- 2007 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory
- 2008 Garrimala - Bark Paintings and Memorial Poles, Niagara Galleries, Richmond, Victoria
- 2008 Blue Chip X - Collectors Exhibition, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne, Victoria
- 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory
- 2009 Larrakitj - the Kerry Stokes Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia
- 2010 17th Biennale of Sydney, Larrakitj - the Kerry Stokes Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, New South Wales
- 2013 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory (won an award for Bark Painting)
- 2019 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory (won the Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Award)
Art Collections
Malaluba Gumana's art can be found in these collections:
- National Gallery of Australia
- Art Gallery of New South Wales
- Larrakitj Collection of Kerry Stokes
- Estate of Kerry Packer
- Woodside Energy Ltd. Art Collection
- Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia
- San Antonio Museum of Art
Awards and Honors
- Her Dhatam imagery was used for Garma 2008 T-shirts and other promotional materials.
- Telstra Bark Painting Award, NATSIAA, 2013
- Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Award, NATSIAA, 2019
