TIES THAT BIND
A unique collaboration of sculptural neckpieces and bespoke silk garments worn by Indigenous model Magnolia Maymuru unites two distinct, vastly different Indigenous artists and celebrates their shared connection to cultural heritage.
A unique collaboration of sculptural neckpieces and bespoke silk garments unites two Indigenous artists.
WHEN THE BRITISH landed in Australia in 1788 they arrived on a country that had been occupied by Aboriginal people for at least 65,000 years. Mothers to daughters, fathers to sons: an unbroken lineage stretching back for an almost incomprehensible time. Aboriginal people were here when the continental coastline of the north extended out into the Timor Sea, when Australia and New Guinea formed a single landmass known as Sahul. They have endured ice ages, witnessed the rising of the seas, lived among megafauna, and known changes beyond our imagining.
It seems inconceivable that those countless generations of ancestors, people for whom life was vastly different to that which we know today, continue to inspire and shape the world around us, and yet they do. In an unbroken continuum with past generations, Aboriginal people assert their sovereignty and their connection to Country through art, song, language, story and, in more recent times, fashion.
Two artists whose work is at the forefront of that continuum are Mutti Mutti, Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta and Boon Wurrung woman Maree Clarke and Gunnai, Wiradjuri, Gunditjmara and
Yorta Yorta woman Lyn-Al Young. The two women first met at the National Gallery of Victoria in January; their second encounter, again at the NGV, was in August. Clarke arrived in her signature all black, complete with military boots and a short jacket. Young was wearing one of her own creations, handpainted silks paired with a painted leather jacket, which she had draped over her shoulders. At first they seem at odds, two visual styles at either end of a spectrum. Clarke embodies hard- edged vibrancy; Young, gestural painting and soft drapery. But there is something productive within the tension.
Clarke is a designer and an artist. Born in Swan Hill in north-west Victoria, she lived for a time on Balranald Mission, on Manatunga Mission in Robinvale, and in Mildura. She has been living and working in Melbourne for more than 30 years.
Melbourne-based Young is 24 years old. Her name is a combination of the names of her nan Lynette and her great nan Alice, because in what can only be described as an historic coincidence, all three women share the same birthday.
Anyone who has met Clarke knows she has an obsession with materiality. She is always trying new things. Her art practice spans from lenticular photographic light boxes to 3D printing, from kangaroo teeth to river reeds. Her work is profound and meditative; she is meticulous and hard-working.
Young’s intention is to find peace in her spirit before creating, “so I can paint in the rhythm of my life song”. Her work is spontaneous and gestural. “As a painter and a mark-maker, painting and creating is an act of worship, it is spiritual and ceremonial, honouring the sacred storytelling and passing down of gifts and connecting to my ancestors on a deeper level,” she says.
It’s hard to tell whether the gesture in her work comes from her painting style or the movement of the silk. “I allow the wind to blow through the silk when painting; it helps guide me and the dyes into the silks,” she explains. “It’s like the breath of creator spirit blessing the silk.” As a result, her creations look like they are alive.
It was at the NGV, where I work as curator of Indigenous art, that the artists first spoke. And it was there that this unique collaboration was born.
The collection features a number of Clarke’s sculptural body adornments paired with bespoke silk garments made by Young. Clarke’s neckpieces embody her love of texture. Each one is elegantly finished and makes a direct link to either the traditional river reed or kangaroo teeth necklaces, which prior to European contact were worn ceremonially throughout Australia’s south-east. Some are in glass, others constructed from traditional materials. One of the boldest looks in the collection combines Young’s canary-yellow floor-length silk gown – made by wrapping two silk river reed wraps and a bandana – with Clarke’s black river reed necklace (pictured top right). Clarke’s necklace is interspersed with a variation of scarlet and fern-coloured parrot feathers.
Clarke’s river reed necklaces are supersized; some are more than 50 metres long. To prepare them, Clarke collects river reeds from along the Maribyrnong River, boils them and strips the outer surface. The reeds are dyed black to represent mourning practices. Each one is carefully shaped and adorned with feathers and hung from a wax thread. Her traditional kangaroo teeth necklaces are made entirely from road kill. Somewhat poignantly, Clarke is a dedicated, lifelong vegan. As such, she views this process of collecting and preparing the kangaroo body with ritualised significance, as a way of honouring the animal. She collects the front two teeth from the kangaroo carcass (the only two that can be used), boils them and strips them of any plaque. The whole process is a family affair; she works with nephews and nieces to collect the materials. In her backyard studio, once all the teeth are ready, Clarke and her family prepare kangaroo sinew taken from the tail, which she then uses to bind each tooth to a strip of natural kangaroo leather.
Clarke has been making these necklaces for a very long time. She makes them as a way to connect with her ancestors, keeping her culture alive.
“My work at the NGV is about regenerating cultural practices, making people aware of our culture and that we are really strong in our culture, identity and knowledge,” she says. “We haven’t
lost anything – some of these practices have just been dormant for a while. The traditional body adornments such as the reed necklaces and kangaroo tooth necklaces are authentically reproduced but are supersized to reflect the scale of the loss of our knowledge of cultural practices.”
Young paints her silks en plein air. Every piece she creates tells the story of one of her four ancestral lands. Her creativity manifested at an early age: when she was 10 years old she would make handbags out of recycled jeans. By the time she was 12 she was already selling her designs alongside her family’s art at local Aboriginal markets.
Her paintings are intuitive and thoughtful and reflect her experience being in and of Country. Country, for Aboriginal people, does not just mean landscape and geography; rather, it is a philosophical concept encompassing all living things, past, present and future. Country is both a place of belonging and a way of being.
Responding to Clarke’s river reed necklaces, Young knew immediately that she wanted to make garments that told the story of the convergence of their two ancestral Countries: Clarke’s Mutti Mutti connecting to Young’s Yorta Yorta at the meeting point of the Murray River.
Young created each of her silks on the riverbank of the Murray surrounded by female family members. Being there, physically present in the landscape, she can both metaphorically and literally embed her connection to Country within the fabric of each of her designs.
At first glance the designs appear abstract, but when opened up Young’s deconstructed figuration tells the story of the waterways, totems, animals and landscapes of this special place. “They are inspired by the shapes and designs found in the landscape and enveloped by the spirit of my grandmothers,” she says.
Young uses fashion the same way Clarke uses her body adornment: as a way to reclaim and celebrate Aboriginal customary rituals and connection to place. While their visual styles might exist in a productive tension, what unites these two artists is their continuing desire to affirm and connect with their cultural heritage.
Modelling these creations on these pages is Yirrkala-born Magnolia Maymuru, from north- east Arnhem Land. Styling the pieces for this photo shoot enabled Clarke and Young to create a contemporary look that honours an ancient culture across Australia.
There is a powerful connection to place that can be felt by all people who are prepared to listen to Aboriginal sovereignty. Clarke and Young’s collaboration tells this epic story: 65,000 years‘ worth of art and design, survival and revival. It tells the story of how Aboriginal people, both in the south-east and up in the north, persist as leaders, artists, designers and storytellers. Without these stories and connections, Australia would be a much emptier place.
Young uses fashion the same way Clarke uses her body adornment: as a way to reclaim and celebrate Aboriginal customary rituals and connection to place