Bathi: Baskets from the Arnhem Weavers

Bathi: Baskets from the Arnhem Weavers is an upcoming display of the traditional Indigenous craft of bathi (basket) weaving, exhibited at Tacit Gallery in Collingwood till Sunday, 28 April 2019.

The Arnhem Weavers are a group of women from the remote Yolŋu township of Mäpuru in Arnhem Land, approximately 900km-by-road east of Darwin. With a history of forced relocation and reclaiming their homeland, the people of Mäpuru have worked to rebuild their community using their own resources. Since 2003, the Arnhem Weavers have been delivering basket weaving workshops to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people as a means to support their community through the art of fibre and textiles. This culturally rich intergenerational craft is a sacred and central part of traditional ceremony and this exhibition is a rare opportunity to appreciate and experience the skills involved in basket weaving.

This collection will be a beautiful display of woven crafts that speak of caring for Country, caring for self, and the connection to place and eldership. The bathi will focus on the story of how methods of healing and learning have spanned generations of Arnhem women. The ingenuity of the crafters will no doubt inspire, as their use of roots, leaves, vines and bark for dyeing, spinning and weaving will explore their rooted and traditional knowledge of natural fibres. Weaving is an ancient art of story telling, of purpose and practicality, of spirituality and of cultural significance, and this upcoming exhibition is one not to be missed.

To learn more about the Arnhem Weavers, visit their website at arnhemweavers.com.au. 

Bathi: Baskets from the Arnhem Weavers
Till Sunday, 28 April 2019, Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm
Tacit Art, 123a Gipps Street, Collingwood
tacitart.com.au

Image: Supplied.