It starts with panoramic views of a small town in high-noon heat: a widescreen wrap-around video, cycling slowly from streetscapes to the town’s perimeter, with glimpses of the Arafura sea and red dirt vistas. “Slow down … walk with us,” wall text invites us. Nearby hangs a series of rusty and battered road signs etched with coruscating designs. “Road closed due to ceremony” reads one; “You are on the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Land Trust” reads another.
This is Yirrkala: a small community in the north-eastern tip of the Top End and a huge presence in contemporary Australian art. Yolŋu artists working with Yirrkala’s arts centre have been constant fixtures at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art awards (Natsiaa) for the last three decades and have been the subject of surveys at the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), NGV, Australian National Maritime Museum and National Museum of Australia, as well as major international touring exhibitions.
