Art forms

The crosshatched patterns of the miny’tji create an optical shimmering effect called bir’yun. It’s this brightness that endows a painting with its ancestral power because it’s seen as emanating from the wangarr themselves.

The designs used by Yolngu artists, whether on paper, bark, ḻarrakitj (hollow logs) or on the body for ceremony, reflect each artist’s clan and country.

The designs may also be read as title deeds to country, representing generations of intimate and deep connection to, and care for, particular areas.