Image: D Lan Galleries, Melbourne
D Lan Galleries will present 'The Ancestral Hearth,' the first international solo exhibition by Yolŋu artist Rerrkirrwaŋa Munungurr. The exhibition runs from 24 October to 25 November 2026 at 25 East 73rd Street, New York / Lenapehoking.
It brings together bark paintings that embody the ancestral presence of gurtha—fire—and the interconnected relationships between Madarrpa and Gumatj Country in Northeast Arnhem Land. As djungayi, or custodian, Rerrkirrwaŋa paints sacred Gumatj miny’tji, or clan designs, carrying knowledge across generations.
Her distinctive diamond patterns evoke the tongues of ancestral fire, while fine white marks recall the sparks that rise as the fire burns down. The paintings are rendered with natural ochres and marwat, fine brushes made from human hair. Rerrkirrwaŋa’s shimmering fields of pattern speak from an enduring Yolŋu knowledge system linking Country, kinship and ancestral narrative.
