Join us online for an opening program with Joanna Barrkman, Senior Curator of Southeast Asian and Pacific Arts. Special greetings from the art centers will be followed by a virtual walkthrough of the exhibition with Barrkman, including a sneak peek at an exhibition video that traces the screen-printing process and the ways in which artists translate ancient painting techniques into new media.

Aboriginal Screen-Printed Textiles from Australia’s Top End presents a stunning exhibition of over 70 distinctive, screen-printed textiles made by contemporary artists at five Aboriginal-owned art centers in Northern Australia, known as the “Top End.” The presentation is organized around the individual art centers, revealing the creativity and innovation of Aboriginal artists and their sources of inspiration. The textiles pay tribute to the resilience and beauty of Aboriginal Australia, and celebrates the enduring connections between people and their lands.

Exhibition opens to the public Sunday, December 5.

Image credit: Deborah Wurrkidj (b. 1971) of Bábbarra Women’s Centre, Yawkyawk dja wayuk (Young woman spirit and water lily), designed 2007, printed ca. 2017; screen print, three stencils, linen and ink; Fowler Museum at UCLA X2018.15.3; Museum purchase with Fowler Textile Council funds; © Deborah Wurrkidj / Copyright Agency. Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, 2020