Bana Yirriji Art Centre, Wujal Wujal
Bana Yirriji Art Centre: Wujal Wujal, Far North Queensland
In June 1770, James Cook's ship the Endeavour struck a reef off Weary Bay and spent weeks being repaired on what is now Kuku Yalanji country. In 2019, Bana Yirriji artists walked the same beach and collected driftwood; rainforest timber, and perhaps timber from the Endeavour's own hull. They painted their Bama stories on it. "We want Australians and the rest of the world to hear the other side of the Captain Cook story," the artists wrote in their group statement. Works by Betty Sykes, Sonya Creek, Shanna Olbar, and Josie Olbar were acquired by the National Museum of Australia for its exhibition Endeavour Voyage: The Untold Stories of Cook and the First Australians.
Bana Yirriji Art Centre opened in 2011, situated alongside the Bloomfield River in Wujal Wujal, 1.5 kilometres from the waterfalls the community is named for; Wujal Wujal meaning "many falls." The waterfalls are a women's sacred place; only one is open to the public. Bana means water; yirriji describes the running waters between the Bloomfield River Bridge and the falls. The centre represents artists from the Yalanji, Nyungkul, and Jalunji clan groups of the Eastern Kuku Yalanji nation, whose country sits within Australia's World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics. It is hosted by Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council and is 100% community owned and governed. In December 2023, Cyclone Jasper caused catastrophic flooding that destroyed the art centre building and forced the community to evacuate to Cooktown. The centre has continued operating from an interim portable building while reconstruction is planned.
Bana Yirriji at a glance
- Location: 736 Douglas Street, Wujal Wujal QLD 4895. Bloomfield River, Far North Queensland. World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics.
- Opened: 2011. Hosted by Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council.
- People: Yalanji, Nyungkul, and Jalunji clan groups of the Eastern Kuku Yalanji nation.
- Art forms: Painting, works on paper, prints, textiles, weavings, driftwood painting, artefacts.
- Notable artists: Josie Olbar, Betty Sykes, Anne Nunn, Shanna Olbar, Sonya Creek, Lila Creek.
- Collection: Works held by the National Museum of Australia.
- Hours: Monday to Thursday 8.30am–3.30pm; Friday 8.30am–11.30am; weekends by appointment.
