Barrata Marika

My great great grandfather was Mungurrawuy Yunupingu. Mungurrawuy Yunupingu’s son Yumunu#1 was my mother’s father. My mother’s mother was Djandi Gurruwiwi. My mother was Gunanu Yunupingu. From my early childhood memories I think of my grandfather’s sister (Gaymala Yunupingu) and I remember watching her painting Djilawurr (bush chook) and octopus and stingray. She had a painting of Djilawurr on her front door at Gunyangara. Gaymala would love to have me stay on the weekends and also after school, and we would go hunting together. Also I remember my grandmother (Djandi Gurruwiwi) making pandanus fibre basket and mats – she was a real expert at this. I helped her collect pandanus and the bush colours for dying the Gunga (pandanas). I grew up in a small community called Gunyangara with my mother Gunanu Yunupingu and my grandmother Djandi Gurruwiwi. I went to school in Yirrkala from Preschool and Years 5-9. I went to boarding school in Melbourne – Worawa college- Healesville for Years 9-11. I returned home in 2006 to attend a family funeral. shortly afterwards I started working at the Yirrkala store for 4 months then after that I worked at the Yirrkala childcare. I moved back to Gunyangara and worked at the women’s resource centre doing cooking for age care people. In 2007 I meet my husband Wayne Dhurrkay (who was working at Rio Tinto Alcan) we were dating for 7 months then we decided to live together and start a family. I have two children – a son, Dhanmirriwuy Isiah Dhurrkay and a girl Balanata Kaylanie Dhurrkay. In 2010 I started to work at Buku- Larrnggay Mulka where I work as a printmaker and artist at the Printspace. Barrata Marika is one of the new generation of young artists that are developing their own styles and telling the stories of their people.