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Related Records: 7 Works | 1 Exhibition | 1 Gallery | 4 Bibliographies | Exhibition History

 

Name
TIWI DESIGN

Culture
Aboriginal Australian


Birth Date
1969

Birth Place
Nguiu, Bathurst Island, Northern Territory, Australia


Summary
Print workshop | Decorative / design artist | Located: Australia (NT) Woodcuts, Screenprints
Context
Australia

See also
Bede TUNGUTALUM; Giovanni TIPUNGWUTI


Remarks
Tiwi Designs

The Tiwi Aboriginal people live on Bathurst Island, approximately 100 Km across the Apsley Straits from Darwin. Bede Tungutalum and Giovanni Tipungwuti started Tiwi Designs in 1969, beginning with wood block prints, and progressing to screen printed fabrics. In 1983 their fabrics were exhibited at the Hogarth Galleries in Sydney with assistance from Coo-ee Emporium, now their major distributer.
The group now works out of a spacious and well organised building which includes a shop catering to tourists. About eight artists produce lengths of fabric, T-shirts, singlets tablecloths, sarongs, wall hangings and greeting cards. So far one hundred and twenty designs have been produced, based on the Tiwi Dreaming stories, their lifestyle, landscape, sea life, flora and fauna. Many of the designs are symbolic, based on the Tiwi myths and legends. 
Kathy Barnes was employed to teach batik, and was the co-ordinator on Bathurst Island in 1987. She had previously been developing the batik industry at Utopia during 1985- 87. Exhibitions of the Tiwi women artist's work was held in 1989 in Darwin and Fremantle.
 
© ada 1989


 

Prints and Printmaking is an access initiative of the Gordon Darling Print Fund.
The National Gallery of Australia is an Australian Government Agency