Mavis Ngallametta:
Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of
Modern Art, Brisbane
A major exhibition honouring the life and work of the late Aurukun artist Mavis Ngallametta (1944–2019) is on at Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) until August 2, 2020. Show Me the Way to Go Home is the first extensive survey of Ngallametta’s work, featuring more than forty paintings. An elder of the Putch clan and a cultural leader of the Wik and Kugu people of Aurukun, Ngallametta was one of the most well-regarded senior community-based artists in Australia. Prior to commencing painting, Ngallametta was a renowned weaver and the exhibition features examples of her ghost net weaving, along with her earliest forays into acrylic painting. Also included are extraordinary large-scale canvases depicting Ikalath, a site to the north of Aurukun on the coast of the West Cape known for its dramatic red dirt cliffs and sacred white clay, paintings that capture Ngallametta’s strong connection to Wutan, a site west of Aurukun near the northern head of Archer Bay, and the Pamp (Swamp) series depicting the life-filled lagoons that ring the community of Aurukun after the wet season, where crystal fresh water abounds and fish and turtles swim. The exhibition is accompanied by a major publication.
NOTE: The dates provided are current and speculative. Many Australian and international arts organisations remain closed in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions. Please refer to institutional websites for further details.
