The Australian Pavilion celebrates the creativity of the women of "Manegrida"

"Expo Dubai" tells the stories of indigenous peoples... with textile threads

  • Deputy Commissioner-General of the Australian Pavilion: Larry Cooney.

  • Legends dating back tens of thousands of years were presented by the paintings of "Grachara".

    From the source

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The Australian Pavilion, located in the mobility area of ​​“Expo 2020 Dubai”, dedicated the visitors and audience to the international exhibition of “Grachara” art, through an exhibition held for the first time in the Middle East, through which the indigenous women of the Australian “Manegrida” region unleashed their artistic imagination In depicting ancient mythological accounts dating back tens of thousands of years, using contemporary fabric and media, in paintings that represented an extension of the deep cultural knowledge of Aboriginal women.

The Deputy Commissioner-General of the Australian Pavilion, Larry Cooney, confirmed that the exhibition "Jarashara", which derives its name from the language of the indigenous people, and means "the strong cold wind that blows over Arnhem Land every dry season", is being held for the first time in the Middle East, in an affirmation of the The leading role of the Australian Pavilion at the Dubai Expo in acquainting visitors with the civilizational and cultural heritage of all segments of Australian society, including the indigenous people.

cultural diversity

Kony told "Emirates Today", "The paintings allocated by the (Grachara) exhibition, and highlighting the art of weaving, belong to artists from the (Babbra) Center for Aboriginal Australian women, and most of the artists and women affiliated with this center speak at least six languages. live for the indigenous people, which reflects the diversity and cultural and civilizational heritage to which they belong.”

She explained that "Expo 2020" succeeded with distinction in bringing the world together with its cultures and civilizational heritage under one dome, and represents an opportunity to introduce the world to the cultural heritage of the indigenous people of Australia, as the paintings of the "Grachara" exhibition refer to people gathering together to celebrate and dance in rituals dating back tens of thousands of years, Especially since the exhibition has recently concluded a tour of Europe, and this is the first time that it has been shown in the Middle East through the "Expo Dubai" portal.

artistic taste

She added, "Grachara highlights the heritage and art of Aboriginal Australians, in an exhibition that provided a unique opportunity to develop artistic taste, and introduce visitors to (Expo 2020) to the diversity of languages ​​and Aboriginal cultures in Australia."

Kony pointed to the prominent role of the Babbra Women's Center in Australia in reviving the art of weaving, a center specialized in indigenous women, interested in social and positive impact, as for more than 35 years it has supported indigenous women of the Maningrida community, and empowered local women to develop and manage projects Focusing on women, including the implementation of the center's textile workshop specialized in the production and design of hand-drawn panels, before printing them on molds using modern printers. Babbara Design is one of the few artistic centers for the production of original textiles in Australia.

Regarding the ideas covered by the paintings displayed in “Jarachara”, Kony said: “Every artwork has its history and inspiration from contemporary experience and traditional knowledge. And Aboriginal women in particular.

And she concluded: "The (Jarachara) exhibition continues its Middle Eastern tour, as it heads after Dubai to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia."

"Babbara"

"Babbara", from which the name of the Australian Aboriginal Women's Center was taken, means "the body of water", and in Aboriginal language denotes young girls and women in traditional stories, and it is one of the myths that many of the paintings of the "Grachara" exhibition highlighted, and the legend speaks About two sisters of mermaids, one of them lives in fresh water, and the other in salt water, and each gives water to the children to drink, provided that the men stay away from the place where the mermaids live, because it is a “sacred” women’s site.

The legend also tells that many men tried to hunt nymphs, and they thought that they succeeded, but in fact they hunted the "spirit of the nymph", because her hair was white.

• The paintings are integrated as one body that narrates the legends and customs of the indigenous peoples in general, and the indigenous women of Australia in particular.”

Larry Cooney:

• “(Grachara) highlights the heritage and art of the Australian aborigines, in an exhibition that provided a unique opportunity to develop artistic taste.” 

• “(Expo 2020) succeeded with distinction in bringing the world together with its cultures and cultural heritage under one dome, and it represents an opportunity to introduce the world to the cultural heritage of the Australian aborigines.”