Take it all in, From the Ground Up

Territorians know firsthand how incredible and unique this place is. From the country below you, to the seas around, and the skies above. It is a place of old stories, of wonderment and beauty. A place of extremities and an incredible natural world.

WORDS LISA PELLEGRINO

TO CELEBRATE THE opening of the new Midpul Art Gallery at Charles Darwin University (CDU) in the CBD, the exhibition From The Ground Up looks at how contemporary art and culture in the Northern Territory is shaped by the very ground upon which we all live. 

"From The Ground Up celebrates the importance of artists in shaping our understanding of place and our appreciation of the Northern Territory’s distinctive, spectacular, and at times overwhelming, climate and environment,” says Dr Joanna Barrkman, Curator CDU Art Collection and Midpul Art Gallery. 

The exhibition features over 80 works created by 34 significant Territory-based artists and cohorts across the NT. With works spanning over 41 years, From The Ground Up invites you to experience the diversity of this place we call home. 

Midpul Art Gallery at CDU is a part of the new Danala | Education and Community Precinct on Cavenagh Street. Situated on Larrakia Country, the gallery has been named in honour of the late acclaimed Larrakia artist Midpul, a ceremonial leader, didgeridoo player, ceremonial body painter, singer and dancer, also known as Prince of Wales. 

“Midpul laid the foundations for the emergence of a contemporary Larrakia art movement,” says Barrkman. 

Continuing with this legacy of art and storytelling in the Territory, From The Ground Up features a range of works including many drawn from the CDU Art Collection. Bask in Territory's truly unique environment, culture and art, from the ground up.

From The Ground Up 
UNTIL THU 17 APR 
AT MIDPUL ART GALLERY AT CDU 
INFO cdu.edu.au

_{Image: Anna Reynolds, 'Hole', 2024, mixed media on canvas, 100x145cm. Charles Darwin University Art Collection}