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A new art exhibition Milingimbi: A Living Culture, a selection of works from the school of art from Milingimbi Island will feature works from Milingimbi Island, an island located approximately 500 kilometres east of Darwin in the Northern Territory.

Presented by the University’s Berndt Museum, the exhibition which is free to the public will run between 29 July and 16 December at The University of Western Australia’s Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery.

Milingimbi Island’s unique location and connections to traders in the north has resulted in a strong and enduring cultural legacy which will be showcased at the exhibition.

With support of the Milingimbi Art and Cultural Centre, the exhibition will feature a selection of works from as early as the 1940s alongside new acquisitions. It also includes works from the Janet Holmes à Court Collection, to build on the notion of living cultures, as something that continues to shift and change over time.

Milingimbi: A Living Culture brings the knowledge of the artists, families and communities together from the island. Evidence of the value of this material can be seen from the public collections held across Australian and the world.

Curator Dr Vanessa Russ, Associate Director of UWA’s Berndt Museum, said the exhibition reminded us that like all human endeavours, Aboriginal people needed to be reunited with their culture on a regular basis.

“We can acknowledge that culture gives life its purpose and connects the human spirit with a meaningful experience, building our resilience to the challenges we face in this ever-changing world,” Dr Russ said.

The opening of the exhibition will be held on Friday 28 July at 6pm and members of the public are invited to attend.

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Jess Reid (UWA Media and Public Relations Advisor)                                       (+61 8) 6488 6876