Gaypalani Wanambi

Michael Reid Murrurundi is pleased to announce that highly acclaimed contemporary artist, Gaypalani Wanambi will contribute to our inaugural collaborative exhibition with R. M.Williams, Land and People.

Raised in a distinguished artistic lineage led by her father, the renowned Mr Wanambi, Gaypalani Wanambi carries forward a legacy of cultural innovation. Before his death, Mr Wanambi extended his artistic practice into digital media and engravings on salvaged metal ­– part of the Found movement, which embraced industrial materials as artistic medium, especially among artists in Northeast Arnhem Land.

Under her father’s mentorship, Wanambi developed a visual language deeply rooted in Yolnu philosophy. Her intricate engravings on repurposed road signs and scrap metal serve as a tribute to the ancestral songlines of her Marrakulu clan ancestral being, Wuyal.

Working from the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre in Yirrkala, Northeast Arnhem Land, Wanambi is now the leading female practitioner within the Found movement, which sees roadside material gleaned on Country repurposed as shimmering, intricately detailed works of art.

Recently named as a finalist in the 2023 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) – Australia’s most prestigious and enduring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art prize – Wanambi’s participation in Land and People feels vital, serving as an arresting homage to rural and Country identity.

Artworks by Gaypalani Wanambi are available to preview at our Sydney Gallery and appointments may be scheduled by request. For more information, please email danielsoma@michaelreid.com.au