Bark painting from Buku Larrŋgay Mulka Aboriginal Art Centre, Arnhem Land © Buku Larrŋgay Mulka
Aboriginal Art from Buku Larrŋgay Mulka and Yolŋu Cultural Authority
Buku Larrŋgay Mulka Aboriginal Art Centre represents one of the most important bodies of Aboriginal Art in Australia. Its artists work within long-held Yolŋu systems of law, ceremony, and ownership, expressed through painting, sculpture, and sound.
Yolŋu artists have long used art as a form of cultural assertion. Miny’tji, sacred clan designs often painted using rarrk, carry ancestral knowledge tied to land, sea, and kinship.
In the early 1960s, Yolŋu leaders used bark painting to assert sovereignty. The Yirrkala Church Panels and the Bark Petition presented law, history, and ownership through visual form. These works were not symbolic. They were legal and political statements.
Buku Larrŋgay Mulka emerged in the 1970s as a community-controlled centre to support this practice. While Papunya Tula developed in the Central Desert, Yolŋu artists continued a distinct visual tradition grounded in bark painting, ceremonial design, and maritime knowledge.
The name Buku-Larrŋgay refers to the first light touching the face at dawn. Mulka refers to ceremony that is sacred yet publicly shared. Together, the name reflects Yolŋu principles of visibility, responsibility, and cultural authority.
Bark painting remains central to the centre’s practice. Artists prepare stringybark by hand and paint with natural ochres. Works depict clan estates, ancestral journeys, and systems of law connected to land and sea.
Yidaki also plays a key role in Yolŋu culture and artistic production. It functions as both an instrument and a ceremonial object, governed by strict cultural protocols.
Buku Larrŋgay Mulka supports senior artists and emerging practitioners. The centre ensures knowledge transfer through painting, mentoring, and archive work. Its output is held in major public collections and shown internationally.
Buku Larrŋgay Mulka Aboriginal Art Centre at a glance
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Origins
Established in the 1970s to support Yolŋu artists working on bark and ceremonial forms. -
Language/Culture
Yolŋu Matha speaking communities of north-east Arnhem Land. -
Art Style
Bark painting, rarrk, sculpture, and yidaki using natural materials. -
Cultural Significance
Artworks function as expressions of law, land ownership, ceremony, and history. -
Recognition
Artists represented in major Australian and international collections.
View Aboriginal Art from Buku Larrŋgay Mulka
Buku Larrŋgay Mulka Aboriginal Art Centre website
