Durrmu Arts

Patsy Marfura is a Ngangiwumerri speaker, born at the Daly River Mission in 1942. In her late thirties she moved her husband and six children to Peppimenarti. There, her grandmother and other elders taught her to weave dilly bags and mats.

 

Patsy started painting in 2001. By transferring the patterns and rhythms of weaving and body painting directly onto the canvas, Patsy realises sculptural forms in two dimensions.

 

Patsy predominantly paints durrmu (body painting dot) and fi (sand-palm twine) subjects. The sand-palm twine is the fibre used for weaving dilly bags and fish-nets. The fi paintings are restrained studies of organic line, whereas her durrmu are layered veils of dotted marks using carefully chosen colour studies: browns, plums and purples or citrus tones, for example.

 

 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2010 solo exhibition at Caruana & Reid Fine Art, Sydney (opens October 6)

2010 Prints and Pandanus, Nomad Art, Darwin

2010 Tunbridge Gallery, Margaret River

2009 Close at Hand, Caruana & Reid Fine Art, Sydney

2009 Yewirr, Raft Artspace, Darwin

2008 Xstrata Coal Emerging Indigenous Art Award, Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane

2008 Weaveworlds, Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney

2008 Ancient Culture. Modern Art, Club 21 Gallery, Four Seasons Hotel, Sin-gapore
2007 Peppimenarti, Chalk Horse Gallery, Surry Hills
2006 Solo exhibition, Agathon Gallery, Sydney

2006 My Country, The Noosa Longweekend

2003 Awa Yedi I Falmi Warrim Pek Durrimu, Peppimenarti Community, 2003
2002 4th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Conference, Adelaide