OT Staff
An exhibition featuring textile designs by women Aboriginal artists is on a multi-city tour in India, travelling through Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. “Jarracharra : Dry Season Wind”, an exhibition of hand-printed fabrics from a small and remote Aboriginal community known as Maningrida, located in Australia. The artworks carry a message of cultural diversity as a factor in reconciliation between peoples.
The artworks can currently be seen in Delhi at the National Crafts Museum. The event is a collaboration with the Australian High Commission. Earlier, the Indian Museum in Kolkata had showcased the textile creations of 17 Aboriginal artists from the Bábbarra Women’s Centre in Maningrida, Australia’s Northern Territory.
Check out the ‘Jarracharra’ exhibition – an 🇦🇺 exhibition featuring textile designs by women Aboriginal artists – on display at the @IndianMuseumKol till 22 January. This exhibition is on a multi-city India tour, incl. Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai & Bengaluru. https://t.co/KIUupqGG50 pic.twitter.com/qlC3gdgqkX
— Sarah Storey (@AusDHCIndia) January 17, 2023Â
The sacred tales of the inhabitants of the Maningrida region in Western Arnhem Land in northern Australia are depicted in these textiles, the likes of which have never been displayed in India.
Translating to “dry season wind” in the Burarra language, Jarracharra highlights 33 textile designs by 17 women artists of the region. The artists have employed contemporary technologies, such as printmaking, to recreate old narratives, but their delicate brushwork and vivid colours pay homage to long-standing cultural traditions. The artwork is the outcome of an initiative to promote and maintain local languages and customs.
The designs have been produced over many years with generations of women during community workshops in Maningrida, home to 80 clan groupings, many of whom still reside on their ancient homelands. One of the most linguistically diverse places in the world, the area has about 2,500 residents and speaks around 12 different languages.
Participating artists from Australia have travelled to India as part of the exhibition to impart their expertise to other craftspeople and discover the rich textile legacy of Indian states.
The Information
Where: Special Exhibition Gallery, Crafts Museum, Delhi
When: Till March 17, 2023. From 10 am – 6 pm
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