Joy Wilfred

“Ngilipitji is my Country, that’s where I grew up. From Ngilipitji we went to Walker River, walking on foot. My language is Yolngu Matha. My clan is Wagilak on my father’s side, Ritharrngu on my mother’s side. My totems are wild honey and black crow.”

Joy Wilfred is a Ritharrngu artist who lives and works with her sisters and niece in Numbulwar.  Joy’s artistic practice is heavily influenced by her grandmother, who took her out bush to harvest and peel pandanus for wulbung (basket) weaving, and to dig and prepare dye materials to colour the pandanus.  Joy is renowned for her tireless work ethic, weaving at all hours of the day and through the night.

Primarily using traditional pandanus techniques for her wulbung (baskets), epic pandanus mats and dilly bags (which Joy remembers her family using to hold wild honey), Joy is also known to experiment with ghost nets and shade cloth for another form of bag known as yir, using acrylics to paint culturally significant designs.