Yolŋu power: the art of Yirrkala offers a comprehensive insight into a group of world-recognised and celebrated artists from Yirrkala and the development of an art movement whose contribution to Australian art – and, increasingly, international art – is profound. 

The art of Yirrkala is inextricably intertwined with its cultural, political and social history. For almost 100 years, artists from this small community in Northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia have shared art as a means of cultural diplomacy – as a respectful assertion of power in its diverse forms, from sovereignty to influence, authority and control, to energy, strength and pride.  

Published in association with a major survey at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Yolŋu power features over 200 works from the 1940s to the present day. It considers the significant moments in Yirrkala’s history when artists have consciously altered their practice, developed new styles or embraced new mediums. It also contextualises the work of individual artists within the broader school of artists from Yirrkala and surrounding Miwatj Country. 

An essay by the exhibition curator, Cara Pinchbeck, provides an overview of the various innovative art practices in Yirrkala, examining the influence of inheritance, family connections, and acts of diplomacy and activism. Maḏarrpa leader and artist Djambawa Mariwili discusses the nuances of speaking for Country (land, sea and sky) with the Aboriginal arts specialist Kade McDonald, and the coordinator at Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre in Yirrkala, Will Stubbs, writes on the power embodied in Yolŋu art.

The plates are interspersed with voices from Yirrkala, past and present, offering a range of perspectives on the visual culture of this important art centre.

Edited by Cara Pinchbeck
Featuring an interview with Djambawa Mariwili by Kade McDonald, and essays by Cara Pinchbeck and Will Stubbs
Quarter-bound
280 pages
27.5 x 19cm