Murris In Ink: Ngapa Kai Kai

An exhibition of stunning printmaking by

Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts

Striking linocut prints by Indigenous printmakers will be on display at Crows Nest Regional Art Gallery on Tuesday 21 February 2012, touring with Queensland Arts Council’s Exhibition Program.

Murris in Ink is a collective of seven Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island printmakers living and working in the Townsville region. This exhibition celebrates the symbiotic themes of food and water. Ngapa means water in Walmajarri and to the Torres Strait Islander people, Kai Kai is food.

Murris in Ink printmakers are Gail Mabo, Susan Peters Nampitjin, Shirley Yumala Collins, Aicey Zaro, Ian Kaddy, Donna Ives and James Billy with master printer Ron McBurnie.

The artists began printmaking workshops at Umbrella Studio in 2008 and gained recognition for their striking black and white prints at the 2010 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF). Their works are now held in collections across the country. The works have the characteristic bold and detailed tightness we have come to enjoy in this genre of printmaking.

Director of the Exhibition Touring Program, Lisa Beilby, said that “the delicacy and quality of prints reflect their commitment to excellence and showcases exceptional skill, traditional and regional stories and passion for printmaking. We are delighted to support this Indigenous co-operative.”

Ms Beilby also said “We are so proud to present this exhibition and offer our congratulations to both the artists and to Umbrella. The works can be both strange and beautiful, and so interesting to examine – I particularly love the details of the tropical wildlife so lovingly rendered.”

In preparation for this exhibition the artists collaborated with master printer Ron McBurnie to produce nineteen framed prints on paper. In Ngapa Kai Kai each artist expresses what is meaningful to them through highly detailed prints that celebrate family, country and tradition while exploring new ways of working artistically. A video documenting the printmaking process, interviews with the artists and exhibition didactics offer further insight into traditional life by the sea and inland waterways.

Queensland Arts Council’s Exhibitions bring quality visual arts into regional and remote areas, supporting Queensland artists and communities in celebrating their creativity and diversity.

For more information on Murris in Ink: Ngapa Kai Kai or Queensland Arts Council Exhibition Touring Program visit www.qac.org.au or find this exhibition on QAC’s Facebook page wwww.facebook.com/queenslandartscouncil