Midawarr/Harvest: The Art of Mulkun Wirrpanda and John Wolseley
Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Melbourne Museum
Midawarr | Harvest: The Art of Mulkun Wirrpanda and John Wolseley, is the culmination of an extraordinary friendship between two of Australia’s most distinguished senior artists, celebrating their shared obsession with traditional Yolŋu plant use. The exhibition features a specially commissioned vast panoramic scroll painting of a floodplain (10m x 2.1m) by Wolseley and 60 paintings and memorial poles by Mulkun showcasing intricately detailed Yolŋu plants.
In 2009, Mulkun adopted Wolseley as her wawa (brother) and in the following years they harvested, painted and illustrated over 40 species of edible plants. The resulting exhibition is best described as a kind of three-dimensional rendering of north-east Arnhem Land flora.
Mulkun is passionate about passing on the important knowledge of these plants to a younger generation to counteract their dependence on junk food. Wolseley’s immersive landscape portrays a distant floodplain and features the same plants and trees which Mulkun has painted. – Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
Midawarr/Harvest is a touring exhibition developed by the National Museum of Australia in partnership with Mulkun Wirrpanda and John Wolseley.
Director: Sian Darling
Cinematographer: Ben Helweg
