Mavis Ngallametta: Show Me the Way to Go Home will explore a decade of Mavis Ngallametta’s life, a prominent Indigenous weaver-turned-painter whose eye-catching paintings have been displayed everywhere from the National Gallery of Australia to the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Art Gallery of South Australia. The exhibition will feature more than 40 paintings and sculptures that were inspired by her both her heritage and home – Aurukun in far-north Queensland – including her Pamp/Swamp, Kendall River, Wutan, Ikalath, Yalgamunken series together for the very first time. Visitors will be able to witness Mavis’ take on the red dirt cliffs of Ikalath, painted using natural ochres and charcoals, to the the coastal locale of Wutan, as well as her Pamp/Swamp series depicting the crystal-clear lagoons of her homestead Aurukun. The exhibition will also feature Mavis’ intricate weaving and fibre art, earlier acrylic paintings and will give visitors an insight into her life and her huge contribution to the contemporary Indigenous arts scene.

As part of QAG’s COVID Safe Plan and to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing for visitors, staff and volunteers, the gallery is open to a limited number of visitors from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, using a timed-entry ticket system. The gallery has also increased its frequency of cleaning, provides hand-washing and sanitiser facilities, and has installed distance markers for queuing. To book your free timed-ticket to QAG to see Mavis Ngallametta: Show Me the Way to Go Home (open until Sunday February 7, 2021), head on over to the QAGOMA website.

Image One: Mavis Ngallametta painting Ikalath #9 2013, from the Janet Holmes à Court Collection, in Cairns, 2013 / Artwork © Estate of Mavis Ngallametta / Photograph © Gina Allain.
Image Two: Mavis NGALLAMETTA Kugu-Muminh people, Putch clan Australia QLD 1944-2019. Dragging Net at Less Creek (detail) 2015 / 270 x 200 cm. Natural ochres and charcoal with acrylic binder on linen.Collection: Johnny Kahlbetzer, Sydney. ©The estate of Mavis Ngallametta. Photograph: Jenni Carter.
Image Three: Mavis NGALLAMETTA Kugu-Muminh people, Putch clan Australia QLD 1944-2019. Yalgamulchen #2 2012. Natural earth pigments and charcoal with synthetic binder on canvas / 200 x 300cm. Purchased 2012. Collection: National Gallery of Australia. ©The estate of Mavis Ngallametta. Image courtesy: National Gallery of Australia.