Australian embassy opens Indigenous Art Exhibition in Amman

AMMAN — Under the Patronage of HRH Princess Wijdan Hashemi, the Australian embassy in Amman, in collaboration with Jordan’s National Gallery of Fine Arts in Jabal Luweibdeh, has launched the “Jarracharra: Dry Season Wind” exhibition, a remarkable collection of textiles by Australian indigenous artists from the Bábbarra Women’s Centre, in northern Australia, according to a statement for The Jordan Times.

The embassy is proud to showcase Australian indigenous art from the world’s oldest continuous living culture dating back more than 60,000 years. This unique exhibition features women artists and showcases a powerful collection of Aboriginal women’s textile art from Arnhem Land depicting ancient narratives using contemporary mediums. 

The designs presented in this Exhibition were developed over many years by generations of Australian indigenous women. The exhibition explores storytelling and its staging here in Amman reflects the long-standing friendship and close people links between Australia and Jordan dating back over a century, the statement said.

The exhibition highlights the cross-cultural connections between indigenous artistic expression and that of Jordan, known for its textile traditions. Australia’s Ambassador Bernard Lynch explained in his welcoming remarks at the opening of the exhibition on 28 May, the meaning of Jarracharra as referring to “the distinctive wind which blows across Arnhem Land in Australia’s far north in the dry season”. 

In indigenous culture, this wind signifies a season of gathering and social connection among the diverse peoples of the region. There are 12 languages spoken across this region of Arnhem land out of a total of 250 identified Aboriginal languages and 800 dialects across the continent of Australia, according to the statement. 

In short, Jarracharra is a metaphor for the bringing together of different cultures and stories. Amman is the last stop for the Exhibition, which has toured several countries, including India, Morocco, France, Cyprus, and Portugal. The Exhibition will run at Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts (Building 2) until 28 June 2024, (entry free).