long water: fibre stories
In celebrating the collective rather than the individual, fibre art plays a vital role in maintaining and preserving Indigenous material culture. Many contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists draw on ancestral sites and stories for inspiration in their textile designs, using this versatile art form to extend tradition and produce objects that are both utilitarian and decorative, ceremonial and sculptural.
Fibre art is firmly embedded in the innovative practices of Susan Balbunga, Mandy Batjula, Elisa Jane Carmichael, Sonja Carmichael, Fiona Elisala-Mosby, Janet Fieldhouse, Helen Ganalmirriwuy, Ruth Nalmakarra, Paula
