Girringun artists

Across Country: Five Years of Indigenous Australian Art from the Collection | 5 November 2011 — 21 October 2012 | GOMA | Free admission

For Aboriginal people in North Queensland rainforests, fire was vital to daily life. It provided a focal point for social interaction and was used for cooking, warmth, making weapons, preserving food and in ceremonies. Wooden bagu (firestick figures) and jiman (firesticks) were carried from site to site as people moved camp seasonally and the designated keeper was under great pressure to keep these fire-making implements dry, particularly in wet weather.

Girringun Aboriginal artists have used fired clay with ochre patterning, native guava wood and string to make contemporary bagu and jiman, which are representations of the spirit man Chikka-Bunnah. The Girringun artists’ shift to using clay for bagu bodies was influenced by the scarcity of suitable wood that was previously accessible on land now privately owned or declared National Park. In this very recent and successful movement, the artists have quickly developed recognisable styles, influenced partly by their cultural background and also reflecting personal aesthetic choices.