We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.
Regina Wilson / Ngan’gikurrungurr people / Australia b.1948 / Warrgarri (String weave) 2003 / Synthetic polymer paint on canvas / 160 x 124cm / Purchased 2004 with funds from Corrs Chambers Westgarth through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Regina Pilawuk Wilson/Licensed by Copyright Agency 2020
Regina WilsonWarrgarri (String weave) 2003
On Display: GOMA, Gallery 3.5
Regina Wilson, a master weaver, is a Ngan’gikurrungurr woman who has lived mostly in Peppimenarti, a settlement situated amid the wetlands and floodplains of the Daly River region, south-west of Darwin in the Northern Territory.
In her weaving work, Wilson loops, knots, plaits and coils the fresh new growth of merepen (sand palm), yerrgi (pandanus palm) and pinbin vine (bush vine), infusing them with rich colour from freshly dug roots and corms, or flowers and berries gathered from native plants. She consistently experiments with colour, structure and texture to enliven her weaving practice.
Following a series of painting workshops conducted in Peppimenarti in 2000 by Darwin gallerist Karen Brown, Wilson took a bold new direction, successfully moving from weaving to painting. She soon gained recognition for her paintings on canvas, winning the general painting award in the 2003 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. Significantly, Wilson’s shift to painting has inspired an art movement in the Daly River region.