Owen Yalandja
BIOGRAPHY
Owen Yalandja is the son of artists Crusoe Kuningbal and Lena Kuriniya, and grew up at Barrihdjowkkeng outstation in West Arnhem Land between Maningrida and Gunbalanya. His father was the first artist to carve Mimih spirit figures, beginning around 1968. These were originally used in the Mamurrng trade ceremony, as well as in dances. He passed this artform on to Owen as well as his other sons Crusoe Kurddal and Timothy Wulanjbirr, also well known artists.
Yalandja started carving independently following his father’s death in 1984. In the innovative spirit of his father’s work however, he moved away from Mimih carvings and developed a distinctive sculptural style centred on the depiction of Yawkyawk spirits. These slender, female spirits are regarded as the guardians of sacred water bodies. They have tails like fish and for this reason are sometimes referred to as ‘mermaids’. They are at once feared and revered, beautiful and frightening. They protect the land, and for those following the law, can sometimes aid in fishing and other pursuits. However anyone who does not respect a sacred water body can be pulled by them under the water to their death. A billabong in Yalandja’s country of Barrihdjowkkeng is an important sacred site for Yawkyawk, and this spirit is the primary totem of his Dangkorlo clan.
Yalandja’s Yawkyawk spirit carvings are marked by their intricate and delicate surface decoration, incorporating fine dotting or a tiny v-shaped scale pattern of Yalandja’s invention. This intricacy stands in an interesting formal tension with the simple, almost elemental shapes of the Yawkyawk. These are carved from carefully selected, often curved, pieces of northern kurrajong (Brachychiton diversifolius) or ironwood (Erythrophleum chlorostachys). The Yawkyawk take on a form and life of their own, but the form of their parent tree is barely disguised, like a mark of their closeness to the land from which they have sprung. Their faces, with close set eyes and a central vertical line running down their length, are otherworldly and display a subtlety and simple grace which many works by lesser known carvers fail to match. The curves or straightness the carvings gives them their individual life - subtle differences render the Yawyawk graceful, curious, stern or vaguely threatening. Yalandja’s carvings also stand apart in their inventive flair, sometimes incorporating carved and painted details such as smaller Yawkyawk, breasts, unborn babies, and faces in relief.
Owen Yalandja has had a number of solo exhibitions, including at Annandale Galleries, Sydney (2004), Redback Art Gallery, Brisbane (2002) and Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Sydney (2000). Notable group exhibitions include Crossing Country at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (2004), In the Heart of Arnhem Land: Myth and the making of contemporary Aboriginal art, Musée del l’Hôtel-Dieu, France and the Biennale of Sydney (2000).
Profile author: Dan Kennedy
Yalandja started carving independently following his father’s death in 1984. In the innovative spirit of his father’s work however, he moved away from Mimih carvings and developed a distinctive sculptural style centred on the depiction of Yawkyawk spirits. These slender, female spirits are regarded as the guardians of sacred water bodies. They have tails like fish and for this reason are sometimes referred to as ‘mermaids’. They are at once feared and revered, beautiful and frightening. They protect the land, and for those following the law, can sometimes aid in fishing and other pursuits. However anyone who does not respect a sacred water body can be pulled by them under the water to their death. A billabong in Yalandja’s country of Barrihdjowkkeng is an important sacred site for Yawkyawk, and this spirit is the primary totem of his Dangkorlo clan.
Yalandja’s Yawkyawk spirit carvings are marked by their intricate and delicate surface decoration, incorporating fine dotting or a tiny v-shaped scale pattern of Yalandja’s invention. This intricacy stands in an interesting formal tension with the simple, almost elemental shapes of the Yawkyawk. These are carved from carefully selected, often curved, pieces of northern kurrajong (Brachychiton diversifolius) or ironwood (Erythrophleum chlorostachys). The Yawkyawk take on a form and life of their own, but the form of their parent tree is barely disguised, like a mark of their closeness to the land from which they have sprung. Their faces, with close set eyes and a central vertical line running down their length, are otherworldly and display a subtlety and simple grace which many works by lesser known carvers fail to match. The curves or straightness the carvings gives them their individual life - subtle differences render the Yawyawk graceful, curious, stern or vaguely threatening. Yalandja’s carvings also stand apart in their inventive flair, sometimes incorporating carved and painted details such as smaller Yawkyawk, breasts, unborn babies, and faces in relief.
Owen Yalandja has had a number of solo exhibitions, including at Annandale Galleries, Sydney (2004), Redback Art Gallery, Brisbane (2002) and Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Sydney (2000). Notable group exhibitions include Crossing Country at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (2004), In the Heart of Arnhem Land: Myth and the making of contemporary Aboriginal art, Musée del l’Hôtel-Dieu, France and the Biennale of Sydney (2000).
Profile author: Dan Kennedy
Awards
2025 - Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Award, Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin,
2023 - Bark Painting Award, Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
2023 - Bark Painting Award, Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
Exhibitions
2022 - Owen Yalandja, Michael Reid, Sydney, NSW
2015 - Owen Yalandja - Seva Frangos Art, Subiaco, WA
2011 - Yawkyawk: Water Spirit Carvings from Maningrida - Rebecca Hossack, London
2010 - Owen Yalandja: Yawkyawk - Seva Frangos Art, Subiaco, WA
2008 - Owen Yalandja - Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2005 - Owen Yalandja - William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, VIC
2004 - Owen Yalandja - Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2002 - Owen Yalandja - Redback Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
2000 - Owen Yalandja. Water Spirit Sculptures from Barrihdjowkeng - Aboriginal & Pacific Arts, Sydney, NSW
2015 - Owen Yalandja - Seva Frangos Art, Subiaco, WA
2011 - Yawkyawk: Water Spirit Carvings from Maningrida - Rebecca Hossack, London
2010 - Owen Yalandja: Yawkyawk - Seva Frangos Art, Subiaco, WA
2008 - Owen Yalandja - Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2005 - Owen Yalandja - William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, VIC
2004 - Owen Yalandja - Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2002 - Owen Yalandja - Redback Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
2000 - Owen Yalandja. Water Spirit Sculptures from Barrihdjowkeng - Aboriginal & Pacific Arts, Sydney, NSW
Group Exhibitions
2025 - Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2025 - Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia - Finalists’ Exhibition
2023 - Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia - Finalists’ Exhibition
2021 - Summer Collectors Show, Everywhen Artspace, Flinders, VIC, Australia
2020 - Tarnanthi Art Fair, Lot Fourteen, Adelaide, SA, Australia
2020 - Maningrida Arts & Culture, Michael Reid Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2020 - RESILIENCE: The Power of the Past Today, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Fine Art, Brussels, Belgium
2020 - Paris, Paris!, Artkelch, Freiburg, Germany
2020 - Art Paris 2020, Artkelch at Art Paris, Paris, France
2020 - The Magic of Black and White, Artkelch at Kunstwerk, Eberdingen-Nussdorf, Germany
2019 - Rendezvous, Artkelch, Freiburg, Germany
2019 - Top End Ochre, Everywhen Artspace, Mornington Peninsula, VIC, Australia
2019 - Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia - Finalists’ Exhibition
2019 - Menagerie: Contemporary Indigenous Sculpture, Object Gallery and Australian Museum touring exhibition, Australia
2019 - Regards Croisés: Australie - France, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2018 - Art Paris Art Fair, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2018 - Mardayin: Aboriginal Art von Maningrida Arts, Artkelch, Freiburg, Germany
2018 - From Coast to Escarpment: Spirit Worlds of Maningrida, Michael Reid, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2018 - Outstation, Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia
2018 - Melbourne Art Fair, William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2017 - Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2017 - Art Paris, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Grand Palais, Paris, France
2017 - Art Elysées, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2017 - L’Effet Boomerang: Les Arts Aborigènes d’Australie, Musée d’Ethnographie de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
2017 - One Sun, One Moon, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2017 - Spirit in Variation, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2017 - Culture Warriors, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2017 - Rarrk, Bargehouse Gallery, London, UK
2017 - Spirit in Variation Part II, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2016 - Cooee Art at Australian Galleries, Australian Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2016 - Owen Yalandja, Bob Burruwal and Jack Nawilil: New Yawkyawk Spirits and Sculptures, Annandale Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2016 - Sentient Lands, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2015 - Indigenous Art: Moving Backwards into the Future, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2015 - Black Art / White Walls, Counihan Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2015 - Spirit Beings and Lorrkons, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2015 - Rarrk! Flowing on from Crossing Country, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2014 - Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2014 - Four Spirits from Maningrida, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2014 - Maningrida: Barks, Spirit Figures, Lorrkon and Ceremonial Poles, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2013 - Mythological Beings from Maningrida, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2012 - Dream Catchers, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2012 - Maningrida Group Show, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2011 - Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2011 - Maningrida 2011: Where the Dreaming Changes Shape, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2011 - Shalom Gamarada Ngiyani Yana, Waterhole Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2011 - Maningrida Arts and Culture, Annandale Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2010 - Togart Contemporary Art Exhibition, Chan Contemporary Arts Space, Darwin, NT, Australia
2010 - Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2009 - Menagerie, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2009 - 26th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
2009 - Ochre: A Study in Materiality, Short St Gallery, Broome, WA, Australia
2009 - Spirit Beings and Ceremonial Lorrkon, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2009 - Maningrida Group Show, Maningrida Arts & Culture Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia
2008 - Gungura: The Spiraling Wind, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2008 - Maningrida Survey, Short St Gallery, Broome, WA, Australia
2008 - Melbourne Art Fair, William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2007 - National Indigenous Art Triennial 07, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2006-2007 - Gifted: Contemporary Aboriginal Art - The Mollie Gowing Acquisition Fund, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2006 - Dream Tracks: Aboriginal Art of Arnhem Land, La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art, Manama, Bahrain
2006 - Togart Contemporary Art Exhibition, Parliament House, Darwin, NT, Australia
2006 - 23rd Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
2006 - Sculptures from Maningrida, William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2006 - Australian Aboriginal Art 2006/2007, John Gordon Gallery, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
2006 - Lorrkons and Spirit Figures, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2006 - Christofle Invite l’Australie, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / Musée Bouilhet Christofle, Saint-Denis, France
2006 - St-Art: European Art Fair, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Strasbourg, France
2005 - Rarrk, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2005 - Aboriginal Vision in Contemporary Australian Art, Wright Exhibition Space, Seattle, WA, USA
2005 - Spirit Beings and Lorrkon, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2005 - Art Paris, Carrousel du Louvre, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2004 - Crossing Country: The Alchemy of Western Arnhem Land Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2004 - Art Paris, Carrousel du Louvre, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2004 - Art Event, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Grand Palais, Lille, France
2003 - The Visit, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2003 - Next Generation, William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2003 - Dreamtime: Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2003 - People, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2003 - Mythological Beings from Maningrida, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2003 - Art Aborigène Contemporain, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2002 - 19th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
2002 - East + West, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2002 - La Loire-Atlantique Donne Rendez-vous à l’Australie, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Nantes, France
2002 - Art Paris, Carrousel du Louvre, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2002 - Art Aborigène Contemporain, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2001 - Vital Fluids, Helen Maxwell Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2001 - In the Heart of Arnhem Land: Myth and the Making of Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Musée de l’Hôtel-Dieu, Mantes-la-Jolie, France
2001 - Outside In: Research Engagements with Arnhem Land Art, Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2001 - 18th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
2001 - Au Centre de la Terre d’Arnhem, entre Mythes et Réalité, Musée de l’Hôtel-Dieu, Mantes-la-Jolie, France
2000 - Biennale of Sydney, various venues, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1999 - Spirit Country: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Gantner Myer Collection, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
1999 - My Country: Australische Aboriginal Kunst, Brandweer Kazerne, Utrecht, The Netherlands
1999 - Australie Art, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / J.L. Amsler-Bastille, Paris, France
1998 - Spirits of the Dreaming, Jarraman Arts Aboriginal Corporation, National Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1998 - L’Art des Aborigènes d’Australie, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / Espace Toyota, Paris, France
1998 - Propositions Australiennes, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / Galerie Luc Queyrel, Paris, France
1998 - Spirit Country: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Gantner Myer Collection, Palace of the Legion of Honour, San Francisco, CA, USA
1997 - Metamorphosis, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi at Venice Biennale, Palazzo Papadopoli, Venice, Italy
1997 - L’Art des Aborigènes d’Australie, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / Galerie de Stassart, Brussels, Belgium
1997 - Dreamings: Aboriginal Art from Australia, Netherlands
1997 - L’Art des Aborigènes d’Australie, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / Espace Paul Riquet, Béziers, France
1996 - Dreaming: Aboriginal Art from Australia, Galerie Kouwenhoven, Delft, The Netherlands
1996 - Maningrida Exhibition, Indigenart, Subiaco, WA, Australia
1996 - Spirits of the Dreaming, Raintree Fine Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia
1996 - Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1996 - Maningrida, Gabrielle Pizzi Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1996 - Maningrida, Raintree Fine Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia
1994 - Pitture e Sculture dell’Australia Aborigena, touring exhibition, Italy
1993 - Group Maningrida Exhibition, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1993 - Tenth National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
2025 - Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia - Finalists’ Exhibition
2023 - Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia - Finalists’ Exhibition
2021 - Summer Collectors Show, Everywhen Artspace, Flinders, VIC, Australia
2020 - Tarnanthi Art Fair, Lot Fourteen, Adelaide, SA, Australia
2020 - Maningrida Arts & Culture, Michael Reid Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2020 - RESILIENCE: The Power of the Past Today, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Fine Art, Brussels, Belgium
2020 - Paris, Paris!, Artkelch, Freiburg, Germany
2020 - Art Paris 2020, Artkelch at Art Paris, Paris, France
2020 - The Magic of Black and White, Artkelch at Kunstwerk, Eberdingen-Nussdorf, Germany
2019 - Rendezvous, Artkelch, Freiburg, Germany
2019 - Top End Ochre, Everywhen Artspace, Mornington Peninsula, VIC, Australia
2019 - Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia - Finalists’ Exhibition
2019 - Menagerie: Contemporary Indigenous Sculpture, Object Gallery and Australian Museum touring exhibition, Australia
2019 - Regards Croisés: Australie - France, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2018 - Art Paris Art Fair, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2018 - Mardayin: Aboriginal Art von Maningrida Arts, Artkelch, Freiburg, Germany
2018 - From Coast to Escarpment: Spirit Worlds of Maningrida, Michael Reid, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2018 - Outstation, Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia
2018 - Melbourne Art Fair, William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2017 - Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2017 - Art Paris, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Grand Palais, Paris, France
2017 - Art Elysées, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2017 - L’Effet Boomerang: Les Arts Aborigènes d’Australie, Musée d’Ethnographie de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
2017 - One Sun, One Moon, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2017 - Spirit in Variation, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2017 - Culture Warriors, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2017 - Rarrk, Bargehouse Gallery, London, UK
2017 - Spirit in Variation Part II, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2016 - Cooee Art at Australian Galleries, Australian Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2016 - Owen Yalandja, Bob Burruwal and Jack Nawilil: New Yawkyawk Spirits and Sculptures, Annandale Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2016 - Sentient Lands, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2015 - Indigenous Art: Moving Backwards into the Future, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2015 - Black Art / White Walls, Counihan Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2015 - Spirit Beings and Lorrkons, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2015 - Rarrk! Flowing on from Crossing Country, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2014 - Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2014 - Four Spirits from Maningrida, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2014 - Maningrida: Barks, Spirit Figures, Lorrkon and Ceremonial Poles, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2013 - Mythological Beings from Maningrida, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2012 - Dream Catchers, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2012 - Maningrida Group Show, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2011 - Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2011 - Maningrida 2011: Where the Dreaming Changes Shape, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2011 - Shalom Gamarada Ngiyani Yana, Waterhole Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2011 - Maningrida Arts and Culture, Annandale Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2010 - Togart Contemporary Art Exhibition, Chan Contemporary Arts Space, Darwin, NT, Australia
2010 - Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2009 - Menagerie, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2009 - 26th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
2009 - Ochre: A Study in Materiality, Short St Gallery, Broome, WA, Australia
2009 - Spirit Beings and Ceremonial Lorrkon, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2009 - Maningrida Group Show, Maningrida Arts & Culture Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia
2008 - Gungura: The Spiraling Wind, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2008 - Maningrida Survey, Short St Gallery, Broome, WA, Australia
2008 - Melbourne Art Fair, William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2007 - National Indigenous Art Triennial 07, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2006-2007 - Gifted: Contemporary Aboriginal Art - The Mollie Gowing Acquisition Fund, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2006 - Dream Tracks: Aboriginal Art of Arnhem Land, La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art, Manama, Bahrain
2006 - Togart Contemporary Art Exhibition, Parliament House, Darwin, NT, Australia
2006 - 23rd Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
2006 - Sculptures from Maningrida, William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2006 - Australian Aboriginal Art 2006/2007, John Gordon Gallery, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
2006 - Lorrkons and Spirit Figures, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2006 - Christofle Invite l’Australie, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / Musée Bouilhet Christofle, Saint-Denis, France
2006 - St-Art: European Art Fair, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Strasbourg, France
2005 - Rarrk, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2005 - Aboriginal Vision in Contemporary Australian Art, Wright Exhibition Space, Seattle, WA, USA
2005 - Spirit Beings and Lorrkon, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2005 - Art Paris, Carrousel du Louvre, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2004 - Crossing Country: The Alchemy of Western Arnhem Land Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2004 - Art Paris, Carrousel du Louvre, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2004 - Art Event, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Grand Palais, Lille, France
2003 - The Visit, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2003 - Next Generation, William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2003 - Dreamtime: Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2003 - People, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2003 - Mythological Beings from Maningrida, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2003 - Art Aborigène Contemporain, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2002 - 19th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
2002 - East + West, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2002 - La Loire-Atlantique Donne Rendez-vous à l’Australie, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Nantes, France
2002 - Art Paris, Carrousel du Louvre, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2002 - Art Aborigène Contemporain, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob, Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2001 - Vital Fluids, Helen Maxwell Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2001 - In the Heart of Arnhem Land: Myth and the Making of Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Musée de l’Hôtel-Dieu, Mantes-la-Jolie, France
2001 - Outside In: Research Engagements with Arnhem Land Art, Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
2001 - 18th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
2001 - Au Centre de la Terre d’Arnhem, entre Mythes et Réalité, Musée de l’Hôtel-Dieu, Mantes-la-Jolie, France
2000 - Biennale of Sydney, various venues, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1999 - Spirit Country: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Gantner Myer Collection, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
1999 - My Country: Australische Aboriginal Kunst, Brandweer Kazerne, Utrecht, The Netherlands
1999 - Australie Art, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / J.L. Amsler-Bastille, Paris, France
1998 - Spirits of the Dreaming, Jarraman Arts Aboriginal Corporation, National Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1998 - L’Art des Aborigènes d’Australie, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / Espace Toyota, Paris, France
1998 - Propositions Australiennes, Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / Galerie Luc Queyrel, Paris, France
1998 - Spirit Country: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Gantner Myer Collection, Palace of the Legion of Honour, San Francisco, CA, USA
1997 - Metamorphosis, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi at Venice Biennale, Palazzo Papadopoli, Venice, Italy
1997 - L’Art des Aborigènes d’Australie, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / Galerie de Stassart, Brussels, Belgium
1997 - Dreamings: Aboriginal Art from Australia, Netherlands
1997 - L’Art des Aborigènes d’Australie, Galerie Arts d’Australie Stéphane Jacob / Espace Paul Riquet, Béziers, France
1996 - Dreaming: Aboriginal Art from Australia, Galerie Kouwenhoven, Delft, The Netherlands
1996 - Maningrida Exhibition, Indigenart, Subiaco, WA, Australia
1996 - Spirits of the Dreaming, Raintree Fine Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia
1996 - Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1996 - Maningrida, Gabrielle Pizzi Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1996 - Maningrida, Raintree Fine Art Gallery, Darwin, NT, Australia
1994 - Pitture e Sculture dell’Australia Aborigena, touring exhibition, Italy
1993 - Group Maningrida Exhibition, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1993 - Tenth National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
Market Analysis
Owen Yalandja is primarily a sculptor with a lineage linking him to the finest carvers of his clan. He began carving in the early 1990s and, though they became increasingly popular in the primary market, it was not until 2002 that his first works began to appear at auction. His earliest record, set that year at $14, 400, was at least 4 times the price that a comparable work could be bought in the primary market. Prior to 2004 his works could be purchased through a range of good exhibiting galleries including the Hogarth Galleries, Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Gabrielle Pizzi Gallery and Coo-ee Aboriginal Art. However it was his subsequent exclusive representation by Annandale Galleries in Sydney that introduced his serpentine delicate pieces to a new collector base. He was especially prolific during the period 2004 to 2010 and with a good supply of high quality pieces in the primary market very little appeared for auction prior to 2009.
In that year 3 sculptures appeared and sold for a combined total of $26, 520 and by the end of the following year when four works sold for $75, 480, the number of pieces that had appeared at public auction had risen to 9. His current record price was set in 2016 when a 266 cm high sculpture entitled Yawk Yawk Fresh Water Mermaid Spirit at Barrhidjowkeng sold in Sotheby's London sale for GBP30, 000 ($AUD51, 462). This displaced his previous record set in 2013 when a 218 cm high work carried a pre-sale estimate of $15, 000-20, 000 at Deutscher & Hackett (Lot 135) sold for $36, 000 including Buyer's Premium. Interestingly two other substantial pieces (far heavier and more robust than his more recognised works) have sold for more than $30, 000 each.
Only one bark by Yalandja has ever appeared for auction. Depicting a Mimih spririt in a minimal style similar to the delicate dotted decoration on his carvings, this small 40. 5 x 19. 5 cm painting sold for $2440 at Mossgreen's July 2014 sale (Lot 44).
2015 was by far the most active year for offerings of Yalandja's work at auction. No less than 7 works were on offer, and by the end of the year he had a career success rate of 82% and a very healthy average price of $10, 364. Owen Yalandja now has 35 recorded offerings at public auction and is firmly established amongst the top 100 artists of all time. His most appealing works are thin whispy and etherial. The last time a set of beautiful, pieces such as this appeared at public auction was in 2009 when a set of 4 sold for $19, 200 at Sotheby's. As nicely mounted and presented examples like these appear in the years ahead, expect intense interest.
In that year 3 sculptures appeared and sold for a combined total of $26, 520 and by the end of the following year when four works sold for $75, 480, the number of pieces that had appeared at public auction had risen to 9. His current record price was set in 2016 when a 266 cm high sculpture entitled Yawk Yawk Fresh Water Mermaid Spirit at Barrhidjowkeng sold in Sotheby's London sale for GBP30, 000 ($AUD51, 462). This displaced his previous record set in 2013 when a 218 cm high work carried a pre-sale estimate of $15, 000-20, 000 at Deutscher & Hackett (Lot 135) sold for $36, 000 including Buyer's Premium. Interestingly two other substantial pieces (far heavier and more robust than his more recognised works) have sold for more than $30, 000 each.
Only one bark by Yalandja has ever appeared for auction. Depicting a Mimih spririt in a minimal style similar to the delicate dotted decoration on his carvings, this small 40. 5 x 19. 5 cm painting sold for $2440 at Mossgreen's July 2014 sale (Lot 44).
2015 was by far the most active year for offerings of Yalandja's work at auction. No less than 7 works were on offer, and by the end of the year he had a career success rate of 82% and a very healthy average price of $10, 364. Owen Yalandja now has 35 recorded offerings at public auction and is firmly established amongst the top 100 artists of all time. His most appealing works are thin whispy and etherial. The last time a set of beautiful, pieces such as this appeared at public auction was in 2009 when a set of 4 sold for $19, 200 at Sotheby's. As nicely mounted and presented examples like these appear in the years ahead, expect intense interest.
