Northern Editions printmaking studio and gallery at Charles Darwin University (CDU), in collaboration with Gallery Gondwana will tomorrow launch an exhibition of etchings and screenprints by celebrated Warlpiri artist Dorothy Napangardi.
The exhibition, titled Dorothy Napangardi: etchings and screenprints 2001-2006, will be officially opened by His Honour Ted Egan AO, Administrator of the Northern Territory, at 6.30pm, Thursday 28 June. The artist will be attending the opening.
This show brings together 20 etchings and screenprints produced over a period of five years by internationally renowned artist Dorothy Napangardi.
The prints on display in the exhibition are the result of a several different collaborative print exchanges involving the artist and Master Printers from major print workshops including prestigious American print publisher Crown Point Press, Melbourne’s Port Jackson Press, and Northern Editions at Charles Darwin University.
‘It is the first time such a comprehensive group of Dorothy Napangardi’s prints has been exhibited and it is a privilege for Northern Editions to be able to present this survey show of etchings and screenprints at CDU,’ said Emma Fowler-Thomason, Manager of Northern Editions.
Dorothy Napangardi has developed her own unique visual language and is widely regarded as one of the Australia’s leading contemporary Aboriginal artists. She has been painting since 1987 and has won several major prizes including the 18th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2001. In 2002 Napangardi’s work was honoured with a major survey exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
Napangardi’s first prints were produced at Northern Editions in 2001 following a printmaking workshop held on Casuarina Campus in 2000. Napangardi collaborated again with Northern Editions printmakers in 2001 and 2003.
The artist has worked with several printmakers at Northern Editions including Basil Hall, Simon White and Monique Auricchio. In 2004 Napangardi worked with Master Printers Belinda Fox from Port Jackson Press in Melbourne, and Dena Schuckit of Crown Point Press to produce a stunning suite of nine etchings which are featured in the exhibition. New prints were produced in 2006 with Belinda Fox.
Dorothy Napangardi was born in the early 1950s at Mina Mina, a significant women’s site in a remote area of the Northern Territory located near Lake Mackay in the Tanami Desert, north of Yuendumu.
Napangardi’s work reflects her strong cultural and ancestral ties to her country. With a focus on the Women’s Jukurrpa (Dreaming), her complex and beautiful imagery depicts the long journeys of her Women Ancestors from Mina Mina.
Northern Editions has been supporting Indigenous printmaking since 1993 and is now the longest established producer, publisher and retailer of limited edition fine art prints in northern Australia. Many of these works have since found their way into major art galleries, museums and corporate and private collections around the world.
The exhibition will run until 31 July and is open to the public from 10am to 5pm weekdays in Building 33, at CDU’s Casuarina Campus. The exhibition is also available to view online at: www.cdu.edu.au/northerneditions/exhibitions/CurrentExhibitions.htm.
For further details or an interview contact Emma Fowler-Thomason on 08 8946 6325.
A map of the Casuarina Campus is located at www.cdu.edu.au/campusmaps.