Cirrus@Austlit

Author's note: Gulumbu Yunupingu is survived by a large family and a circle of friends across the world. In recognition of her international importance the family have consented to her name appearing in text, but requested that no image be shown, and that her first name not be uttered. Instead she can be referred to as Djotarra or Ms Yunupingu.

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Epigraph: Nothing but Stars Yolgnu judge a bark painting in terms of the light and luminosity created by its cross-hatching. In art from East Arnhem Land a complex transformation process takes place, causing the bark surface to change from its natural dull tone to bir’yun, or brilliant. This expression of luminosity through shimmer is the basis of Yolgnu aesthetics … Yolgnu artists stress that the process of painting is a religious act and that the vibrancy of the painted surface is a manifestation of ancestral power … —Georges Petitjean, Contemporary Aboriginal Art