This collection brings together Indigenous artworks from two respected art organisations, Bula Bula Arts Aboriginal Corporation in Arnhem Land and Tjanpi Desert Weavers in Central Australia. Each artwork reflects strong connections to Country, cultural knowledge and lived experience, expressed through materials and forms grounded in tradition and contemporary Indigenous practice.
Presented as a permanent collection, these works offer insight into the artists, their communities and the cultural significance of the forms on display.
Bula Bula Arts Aboriginal Corporation
Sails, Mats and Shields
Bula Bula Arts Aboriginal Corporation, based in Ramingining in north-east Arnhem Land, represents Indigenous artists working across fibre, sculpture and ceremonial forms. The artworks featured include sails, woven mats and shields, each holding cultural and historical significance within Yolngu communities.
Sails
The large woven sail is created using traditional techniques and materials, drawing inspiration from dugout canoes known locally as lipa-lipa. This form reflects the long maritime history of the region, influenced by contact with Indonesian and Macassan traders who travelled to Arnhem Land for trepang harvesting. The practice of building and using these watercraft is remembered by many Ramingining people as part of a shared cultural legacy.
The scale and presence of the sail speak to movement, trade and connection to sea Country, translating a functional cultural object into a contemporary sculptural work.
Mats
Woven mats are a significant part of daily life in Yolngu culture, used for sitting, gathering and ceremony. The mats featured are created using traditional weaving techniques, with careful attention to form, pattern and balance. While rooted in everyday use, their presentation as artworks highlights the skill, knowledge and cultural continuity embedded in fibre practice.
Shields
The shields represented are ceremonial in nature, traditionally worn or carried as symbols of protection, status and identity. These modest shields are associated with ceremony rather than combat, often positioned around the shoulders or waist. As artworks, they reference cultural authority, responsibility and the protection of knowledge passed through generations.
Artists represented include Mary Dhapalany, Kathleen Malpamba and other senior weavers from the Bula Bula Arts community, whose practices are informed by ancestral knowledge and strong ties to Country.
Tjanpi Desert Weavers
Mutukaku Ngura (Motorcar Country) series
Tjanpi Desert Weavers is a social enterprise of Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara women from remote communities across the APY Lands. Artists gather tjanpi, or native grass, from Country and weave it into sculptural forms using techniques shared across generations.
The works in this collection belong to the Mutukaku Ngura (Motorcar Country) series. These sculptures are created by weaving native grasses onto found metal car seat frames, salvaged from burnt-out vehicles across the APY Lands. When cars are set alight, plastic and upholstery burn away, leaving behind skeletal metal frames that artists transform into woven forms.
The series reflects movement across Country, the presence of introduced materials and the adaptation of cultural practice to contemporary life. Each artwork carries traces of landscape, history and resilience.
Artists represented include senior Indigenous women from Mimili, such as Ngilan (Margaret) Dodd, Julie Yangki, Fiona Dodd, Amy Yilpi, Collette Stewart and Pinuka (Margaret) Yai Yai. Language groups represented include Yankunytjatjara, with knowledge and techniques passed down through generations.
Art as cultural knowledge
Together, the works from Bula Bula Arts and Tjanpi Desert Weavers present distinct yet connected Indigenous artistic traditions. Through sails, mats, shields and woven sculptures, the collection highlights the role of Indigenous art as cultural expression, knowledge sharing and continuity.
This story provides an ongoing reference for visitors seeking to learn more about the artists, their communities and the cultural meaning embedded in each artwork.