NINNEY MURRAY | 'Juibulan' | Framed painting

Ninney Murray identifies herself as a Girramay and Jirrbal Traditional Owner of the Davidson Creek area. Ninney lives at the Jumbun Community at Murray Falls, north-west of Cardwell and she is an Elder of her people.

Ninney is an emerging painter whose work captures the stories of the old people, her connection to country and the environments of her childhood. Her work provides a visual expression of culture.

Ninney is also an expert weaver of all the traditional basket types created by the Girramay and Jirrbal people. Traditional styles include, the jawun bicornal lawyer cane basket, the burrajingal, a square-based lawyer cane basket, the gundala, a coiled lawyer cane basket and the traditional grass mindi basket. Ninney also creates traditional eel traps, wungarr, used to trap fresh water eels in the creek. Her Aunty passed down her weaving skills. Today Ninney continues to pass her weaving skills and traditional knowledge to her people through weaving workshops.

Established in 2008, the Girringun Art Centre is home to multi-award winning artists and craftsmen.

Located in Cardwell, Queensland, Girringun represents artists from nine Traditional Owner Groups: the Nywaigi, Gugu Badhan, Warrgamay, Warungnu, Bandjin, Girramay, Gulngay, Jirrbal and Djiru people.

The traditional country of these groups covers some 25,000 square kilometres of country in the state’s far-North. Objects from this country are significantly different from those of much of the rest of Australia. Weaving is done by both men and women, and the diversity of resources between land and sea have resulted in a vast array of implements being crafted for use.

A living functioning art centre, it is not unusual to see artists in the workshop developing new work and honing their craft. The stories and environments of this ancient culture are being transformed daily into visual images and designs by weavers, painters, potters, textile artists, and makers of traditional objects.

These artists bring to life the unique cultural story and expression of the distinctive Aboriginal rainforest art traditions and culture of the Girringun region, to share with the world.

NINNEY MURRAY | 'Juibulan' | Framed painting / acrylic | 54 (h) x 53.5 (w) cm