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Gunybi Ganambarr wins X Strata Emerging Indigenous Artist Award
21 July 2008Yirrkala's nationally renowned art centre, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka, has won yet another major art prize. Last Friday the Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, announced Gunybi Ganambarr, 35, of Gangan as the winner of the lucrative Xstrata Coal Emerging Indigenous Art award 2008.
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Yirrkala's nationally renowned art centre, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka, has won yet another major art prize. Last Friday the Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, announced Gunybi Ganambarr, 35, of Gangan as the winner of the lucrative Xstrata Coal Emerging Indigenous Art award 2008.
His winning work, 'Burrut'tji at Baraltja' was described by the selection panel as "an imposing and impressive work that confidently asserts the desire of a young artist to innovate within the brilliant and longstanding tradition of painting on bark in north-east Arnhem Land...A community 'Young Gun' as the new generation of painters from Yirrkala is called, Gunybi Ganambarr is constantly striving for excellence. He will undoubtedly make further outstanding contributions to his tradition and to contemporary Indigenous Australian art."
Gunybi belongs to the Ngaymil clan but has spent most of his life at the Dhalwangu clan homeland of Gangan and has been mentored and influenced by great local artists including Gawirrin Gumana, Yumutjin Wunungmurra and Djambawa Marawili. He was accompanied to the Award by his Djungaya (cultural caretaker) and fellow 'Young Gun' Yinimala Gumana who broke into sacred song at the moment of presentation which silenced and awed the huge crowd who had gathered at Queensland's magnificent new Gallery of Modern Art. GOMA is gaining a reputation as Australia's most beautiful public art gallery. Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter entertained the audience before the presentation.
Gunybi's public art career began with an exhibition in Annandale Galleries in 2004 which swiftly led to his invitation to participate in the National Sculpture Award at the National Gallery in Canberra in 2005. Two subsequent exhibitions at Annandale followed (Young Guns in 2006 and Young Guns 2 in 2008) which led to his invitation to Xstrata. When Gunybi returned home he complained that he was still seeing stars from all the camera flashlights pointed at him in Brisbane.
| Contact Details | |
| Name: | Will Stubbs |
| Phone: | 08 89871701 |
| WWW: | www.yirrkala.com |