Yunupiŋu: Seven Sisters

In a landmark presentation of Yolŋu women’s art and culture, Yunupiŋu: Seven Sisters brings together for the first time in a major survey the work of seven sisters from one of Australia’s most important artistic families: Gaymala, Gulumbu, Barrupu, Nyapanyapa, Djerrkŋu, Dhopiya and Djakaŋu Yunupiŋu.

Celebrating one family’s artistic and cultural brilliance, Yunupiŋu: Seven Sisters reveals each artist’s individual practice and the powerful stories expressed through their signature styles. At times each artist painted stories connected to the Djulpan – the Seven Sisters star group, or Pleiades – and together they embodied the Seven Sisters story. The Djulpan theme they share highlights cultural connections linking Yolŋu Country to Asia and the cosmos.

Yunupiŋu: Seven Sisters assembles paintings, sculpture, works on paper and moving image from public and private collections. A selection of works by the sisters’ father, Gumatj cultural leader Muŋgurrawuy Yunupiŋu, acknowledges the ancestral stories he shared with his daughters and the profound influence of his legacy across generations.

The project – a collaboration between AGSA and Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre in Yirrkala, northeast Arnhem Land – involves close liaison with the Yunupiŋu family.

Presented in partnership with Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre