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John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new

John Mawurndjul
Ngalyod (detail), 2012
Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the MCA
Foundation, 2015 © John Mawurndjul / Copyright Agency, 2018
Image by Jessica Maurer

"The old ways of doing things have changed into the new ways. The new generation does things differently. But me, I have two ways. I am the old and the new."
- John Mawurndjul

John Mawurndjul AM (b.1952, Kubukkan, western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia) was celebrated for his mastery of rarrk (fine painted cross-hatching), a tradition shared by generations of Kuninjku artists.

This exhibition of bark paintings and sculptures told the stories of Kuninjku culture and the significant locations that surrounded the artist’s home in western Arnhem Land. I am the old and the new included over 50 works which spanned forty years of John Mawurndjul's practice.

Presented bilingually in Kuninjku and English, the exhibition illuminated Kuninjku culture and the dynamic connections between land and ancestral power in Mawurndjul’s home in western Arnhem Land. It also revealed the mastery of an artist who vividly provided a narrative thread which linked the past to the present and beyond. John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new was described by curator-writer Hetti Perkins as ‘a self-portrait … the embodiment of the contemporary spirit of an old soul’.

Art Gallery of South Australia and MCA curators Nici Cumpston, Dr Lisa Slade, Natasha Bullock and Clothilde Bullen commented: ‘This artist-led exhibition has been an extraordinary journey across country and culture, with multiple voices working closely together to support and facilitate the artist’s vision. We hope that through the beauty of Mawurndjul’s art, and the extensive research that went into this exhibition, audiences will gain a deep understanding of the living history and culture of the Kuninjku people and their country’.

This exhibition was developed and co-presented by the MCA and the Art Gallery of South Australia, in association with Maningrida Arts & Culture.

Visit the exhibition guide at www.johnmawurndjul.com to learn more about the artist, Kuninjku language, and over 160 artworks.

Curators
Clothilde Bullen, Natasha Bullock, Nici Cumpston and Lisa Slade with Keith Munro as Lead Cultural Advisor; in close collaboration with John Mawurndjul AM, Kay Lindjuwanga, Ananais Jawulba and Maningrida Arts & Culture staff Michelle Culpitt, Zebedee Bonson, Derek Carter and interpreter/translator Dr Murray Garde.

John Mawurndjul

I am the old and the new
Murray Art Museum Albury 2019
Image by Murray Art Museum Albury

John Mawurndjul

I am the old and the new
Murray Art Museum Albury 2019
Image by Murray Art Museum Albury

John Mawurndjul

I am the old and the new
Murray Art Museum Albury 2019
Image by Murray Art Museum Albury

John Mawurndjul

I am the old and the new
Murray Art Museum Albury 2019
Image by Murray Art Museum Albury

Exhibitions