EXHIBITIONS: Pierre Mukeba | Dhambit Munuŋgurr 2022

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• Opening reception: Friday, 12 August from 6-8pm⁠

• Exhibition dates: 12 August - 10 September 2022⁠

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery is delighted to present 'Amri Kumi', an exhibition of new textile works by Pierre Mukeba. Set at an energetic pace, the rhythmic pulse of bold portraits transforms the Ten Commandments ('Amri Kumi' in Swahili) into present-day stories of African culture. Within an anachronistic storyboard, Mukeba's characters are brought to life by the artist's acute technical dexterity, allowing intense emotional states to capture acts of religious sin. Dazzling vignettes of personal experiences, articles read, images absorbed, contemporary myths told by family members and current events, are interpreted into modern religious fables within sculptural windows of layered materials.

As fantasy and reality vacillate alongside each other, the rhizomatic weaving of past and present is reflected back onto itself by the articulation of a physical frame. Stitches are reversed and reflected in these double-sided works, the density of composition echoing the complexity of the storyline. To break a Commandment is sin, but what if one was broken out of necessity, in order to survive? Sitting in a middle ground between good and evil; dark and light; heaven and hell; Mukeba offers a position on humanity that allows us to witness a space where perhaps love and forgiveness can prevail.

Pierre Mukeba was born in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, fleeing the Civil War to Zambia then Zimbabwe before seeking asylum in Adelaide, Australia where he resided for 15 years. In 2021, Mukeba began representation with Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery which prompted his move to Sydney where he now lives and works. Mukeba has no formal art education and learnt how to create art as a refugee in Zimbabwe taught by his uncle and influenced by his grandfather who was a renowned artist in the Congo.

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Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery are thrilled to present 'Healing/Ḏilthan Yolŋunha', an exhibition of new works by Yolŋu artist Dhambit Munuŋgurr. Within a selection of bark paintings and larrakitj (hollow poles), Munuŋgurr's distinct brushstroke and vivid palette of cobalt blue echos depictions of the sky and sea. Painting with Marwat (traditional Yolŋu hairbrush) using her non-preferred left hand, sea creatures and characters appear to float upon the surface, jostling against a vibrant background: the compelling juxtaposition of contemporary materials and traditional stories developing an unexpected signature style.

Munuŋgurr introduced non-traditional colours to her work when she started mixing ochre with acrylic paint in an effort to overcome the difficulty of grinding ochre by hand which became beyond her capability following a car accident. In doing so, she has defined her practice by the vibrancy of colour and powerful spontaneity of her mark-making, to create strident, dazzling artworks.

Dhambit Munuŋgurr was born in 1968 into the Djapu clan at their homeland, Waṉḏawuy, now an outstation about 150 kilometres south of Yirrkala in northeast Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia where she now lives and works.