A two-metre platypus woven by nine local artists headlines a new exhibition at TAFE NSW’s Gallery43. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
A giant platypus has made its way to the middle of TAFE NSW’s Wagga Wagga campus.
Finding a new home at the centre of the campus’s Gallery43 building, the two-metre-long woven platypus serves as the centrepiece of a new First Nations’ art exhibition, marragalang mudyigalang, which means many hands, many friends.
The exhibition, curated by local artist Juanita McLauchlan, features woven works from a group of Indigenous women living in Wagga Wagga.
“The exhibition has works made by a group of us who’d been weaving over the last five years,” group member Moyra Shields said.
“The group is made up of nine women and sometime late last year we were approached by a wonderful weaving artist, Debbie Wood, who said there is an opportunity to show off our works in an exhibition at the Gallery43 at the Wagga TAFE.
“We decided to put in individual works, but also to do a group piece, which, with the help of a local builder and Wiradjuri artist, Peter Ingram, became the marvellous two-metre platypus.
“So we worked as a group on that in a friend’s garage, stuck it up on the table, and all of us got sore backs learning how to weave a platypus.
“Peter, who built the frame, helped us figure out how we were going to weave around it, and it ended up coming out brilliantly. She looks beautiful!”
The group spent an estimated 90-100 hours working on the platypus alone and worked on many other little bits and pieces that are scattered across the gallery.
“The group started out with about three or so members back in 2020. I was lucky enough to join them and now we have a few more members with several Indigenous and non-Indigenous people all coming together just enjoying making art as a little group,” Ms Shields said.
“We’ve all been quite nervous in the lead-up to the exhibition launch. It’s been such a big project.
“Sometimes we’d be in the garage three or four days in a row just working on some of the work. But, to finally have it up in the gallery and on display for a month is absolutely awesome.
“Juanita McLauchlan, who is the one who curated this, hung all the pieces so beautifully in the Gallery 43.
“She was delightful to work with. Unfortunately, she couldn’t be with us for the launch because she is on an artist residency in New Zealand while also being announced as a finalist for the Wynne Prize, but she has been absolutely marvellous in getting this all together.”
The exhibition will also be holding a raffle, with the winners to receive pieces of work made by the weaving group and Ms McLauchlan. The money raised will be used to support the family of local First Nations elder Mary Atkinson and her great-grandson after a tumour was found on his leg, shortly after he was born. Tickets can be bought at the gallery.
The marragalang mudyigalang exhibition will be held at Gallery 43 from 1 -29 May. The exhibition will be open Monday to Thursday, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm.
