Archive
August
New Works On Paper
Displayed in Gallery 2, the group of 10 works depict a variety of motifs representative of Karritpul’s traditional lifestyle in Nauiyu/Daly River in the Northern Territory, three hours’ drive south of Darwin.
Intricate in their detail, the subjects include fishnets, fish traps, fishing baskets and dilly bags, as well as mermaids and pig-nosed turtles.
Made with Texta and acrylic, with several on a screen- or lino-printed base, the works include one of a long fish trap that is more than 220cm in height.
Together they reveal Karritpul’s continuing interest in both the form and texture of these culturally significant woven objects, which he delineates with authority and precision.
The works follow on from Karritpul’s earlier exhibition in May as part of NGV Melbourne Design Week, Texere: New Woven Surfaces on Fabric, encompassing 11 unique printed textiles.
Kieren Karritpul won the inaugural Youth Award at the 31st Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards in 2014 for his textile work ‘Yerrgi’, which depicts bundles of prepared and dyed yerrgi (pandanus) ready for weaving.
In 2020, Karritpul was awarded Textile Artist of the Year at the inaugural National Indigenous Fashion Awards presented by the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation, which led to collaborations with Country Road Homewares in 2021 and 2023.
Karritpul was a finalist in this year’s Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Image: Kieren Karritpul Long Fish Trap 2023, Texta and acrylic on paper, 226 x 65.5 x 6 cm (framed)
May
Texere: New Woven Surfaces on Fabric
A new design collection for Melbourne Design Week by KIEREN KARRITPUL
The designs form an overall story of going out into the bush hunting for our food. For example, we use fishnets in waterways to catch fish, prawns and turtles. When we go out, I am reconnecting with the past and the ancestors – doing what they did, walking where they walked.
Kieren Karritpul, 2023
September
Making the Ancestors Smile
This is the first major solo exhibition by 28-year-old, Ngengi’wumirri artist Kieren Karritpul who lives in Nauiyu Daly River, NT.
In this exhibition Karritpul continues his investigation into his culture and the land around him. Karritpul speaks of being woven into the land, the place his ancestors have lived for generations. Karritpul uses the metaphor of the woven surface to speak of the breathing land and its importance to indigenous identity and ongoing culture.
Image: Kieren Karritpul Fish Basket in the Water (detail) 2022, acrylic on canvas, 178 x 270 cm
This is the first major solo exhibition by 28-year-old, Ngengi’wumirri artist Kieren Karritpul who lives in Nauiyu Daly River, NT.
In this exhibition Karritpul continues his investigation into his culture and the land around him. Karritpul speaks of being woven into the land, the place his ancestors have lived for generations. Karritpul uses the metaphor of the woven surface to speak of the breathing land and its importance to indigenous identity and ongoing culture.
Image: Kieren Karritpul Fish Basket in the Water (detail) 2022, acrylic on canvas, 178 x 270 cm
