CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.- Since the end of January the University of Virginia (UVA) museums, The Fralin Museum of Art and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection have been hosting artists, events and discussions around the opening of two exhibitions of Indigenous art. “Madayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala” opened at The Fralin on Feb. 3 joining “Voices of Connection: Garamut Slit Drums of New Guinea,” on view now. The Fralin and Kluge-Ruhe are hosting more than a dozen events throughout the week in partnership with UVA, the city of Charlottesville and several other arts organizations.

Opening Week and Events: A delegation of six Yolŋu artists and curators who worked on “Madayin” arrived in Charlottesville on Jan. 28 from Australia. While in Virginia they, will visit the Monacan Indian Nation Museum (Amherst, Virginia); speak to UVA students; lead tours of the exhibition; and open Charlottesville’s First Friday event with a performance of Manikay, ceremonial song cycles of the Yolŋu people and Arnhem Land.

Other opening week events include the W.: Wanambi Distinguished Lecture by
Mayatili Marika in the Dome Room of the Rotunda on Feb. 3 at 4 p.m. and multiple talks from Henry Skerritt, curator at Kluge-Ruhe and assistant professor of art history at UVA, and others. Associated exhibitions opening that weekend include a presentation at Second Street Gallery featuring works by artists from the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Center (Yirrkala, Australia) — a partner in organizing “Madayin” — and an exhibition of works by artists from Moa, Badu and Erub Islands in the Torres Strait at Les Yeux du Monde.

“Voices of Connection: Garamut Slit Drums of New Guinea”

The name ‘garamut’ is taken from the species of wood out of which the drums are most often made. To create the drums, men cut and shape a segment of a tree trunk, and hear it begin to speak as they test its sound throughout the process. After working for a month in the rainforest, eating only fire roasted food to keep their bodies dry and hard like the drum they are drafting, they bring the garamut out in a big village celebration.

The large garamut drums on display in this exhibition facilitate communication across long distances. Up to ten feet long, the slit drums draw comparisons to canoes in appearance and fabrication. Both hollowed-out tree trunk creations provide the ability to connect people in areas that are difficult to reach due to distance.

“We hope that visitors come away with an understanding of the parallels between drums and canoes — that if the canoe travels by its physical distinctiveness the garamut travels by its sound.” – M. Jordan Love, curator of the exhibition and Fralin Carol R. Angle academic curator.

Specialized rhythms or patterns are played on the drums for multiple reasons: from singing and dancing, to summoning a gathering, to making important announcements. In the exhibition, advanced audio technology visually translates
garamut sound waves to illustrate their rhythms, offering visitors away to picture what it is like to hear and understand the drums sound as a form of communication.

“Western culture typically associates drums with music, and we're hoping to broaden visitors’ perspectives on this idea that drums are message carriers. While slit drums are musical instruments, they are also able to speak to others who are far away.” – Lise M. Dobrin, curator of the exhibition and UVA anthropology professor. 

The island of New Guinea, just north of Australia, is home to 15 million people and more than 1,000 languages. Papua New Guinea, an independent country, encompasses the eastern half and the western half is part of Indonesia. This exhibition features artifacts from three regions: the Sepik-Ramu River Basin of northern Papua New Guinea, the Asmat region of western New Guinea and Milne Bay in the far southeast. 

“Voices of Connection: Garamut Slit Drums of New Guinea” is curated by M. Jordan Love, Carol R. Angle academic curator, and UVA Anthropology Professor Lise M. Dobrin, in consultation with Andrew Moutu, Ph.D., former director of the National Museum & Art Gallery (Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea). The map on view in the exhibition was created by Dan Weiss of the Visual Resources Center at UVA. The exhibition will be on view at The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia through June 2, 2024. 

“Madayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala”

One of the most significant exhibitions of Aboriginal Australian art ever staged returns to the city where it was first envisioned. The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia presents “Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala” from Feb. 3-July 14, 2024. The exhibition features more than 50 masterpieces of ochre painting on eucalyptus bark, many of which had never been on view outside of Australia.

Drawn from the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia and important museum and private collections in the United States and Australia, “Maḏayin” was curated by a team of Yolŋu Aboriginal Australian artists and knowledge holders from northern Australia. The idea for the exhibition was conceived in 2015 by Yolŋu artist and leader Djambawa Marawili during a residency at Kluge-Ruhe.

After encountering the rich collection of paintings from his homelands held at the University of Virginia (UVA), he declared the need for an exhibition that would share these paintings with the world. Over the next seven years Marawili led a team of
Yolŋu curators, collaborating with Kluge-Ruhe to create this deep exploration of historic and contemporary bark painting.

“‘Maḏayin’ originated with Yolŋu people. Yolŋu shaped the curatorial rationale, developed the exhibition checklist and wrote the exhibition didactics and catalog essays. We do not pretend to understand Yolŋu art in the same ways Yolŋu knowledge holders do. ‘Maḏayin’ is about recognizing and appreciating both their knowledge and the limits we encounter in fully comprehending Yolŋu culture.” – Margo Smith, the director of Kluge-Ruhe. 

The title of the exhibition, “Maḏayin,” is a Yolŋu word that means both sacred and beautiful. The exhibition includes historic works dating as early as 1935 as well as newly commissioned paintings produced especially for the exhibition. Encompassing four generations, “Maḏayin” presents some of Australia’s most acclaimed Indigenous artists, including Woŋgu Munuŋgurr, Wandjuk Marika OBE, Noŋgirrŋa Marawili and Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu.

“It is very important to show these old paintings alongside contemporary works, to recognize that we Yolŋu have enduring patterns that connect us to our Country. I am proud to make this connection to the United States. The art went first—all those old paintings in the museums. What follows is reconciliation and the passing knowledge to America through our art. Because art is important to us. It represents our mind and our soul.” – Djambawa Marawili, curator of “Maḏayin” and featured artist. 

“Maḏayin” is organized by the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, in partnership with the Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre in Australia, and curated by Djambawa Marawili, W. Waṉambi, Yinimala Gumana, Wäka Munuŋgurr, Henry Skerritt and Kade McDonald.

The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia

Established in 1935, the University of Virginia Art Museum became The Fralin Museum of Art in 2012 in honor of a bequest of American art and service to the University by Cynthia and W. Heywood Fralin. The Museum maintains a collection of more than 13,000 works of art, including American and European painting, works on paper and sculpture from the 15th through the 20th centuries; art from the ancient Mediterranean; Asian art; and Native and ancient American art. Housed in the historic Bayly Building near the Rotunda on the landmark UVA campus, The Fralin is dedicated to serving the widest possible audiences and engaging comprehensive visual education to enhance its visitors’ understanding of world cultures. Throughout the year, the Museum presents a diverse selection of exhibitions, programs, research and events that bring the University and broader community together.

Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia

The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection expands knowledge and understanding of Indigenous Australian arts and cultures to cultivate greater appreciation of human diversity and creativity. With a collection of more than 3,600 objects, Kluge-Ruhe offers a variety of rich programming on-site and digitally. Its well-established residency programs bring eminent Indigenous artists, curators and knowledge holders to Charlottesville to engage with the University of Virginia community and the public.

Kluge-Ruhe is committed to expanding Indigenous leadership throughout the museum and creating high-value, immersive experiences to serve broader audiences.