‘River of Stars’

Naminapu Maymuru-White

Frieze London x Breguet

Curated by Jenn Ellis

Exhibition October 9 – 13, 2024. Frieze London Fair, Regents Park, London.

Naminapu Maymuru-White, installation shot at Frieze London, 2024. Photography by Ben Broomfield Photography

We are delighted to share that Jenn Ellis has been appointed the Frieze and Breguet curator for 2024-5.

Jenn Ellis will be curating a series of projects—one at each fair in New York, Seoul, London, and LA—rooted in emotion and evolutionary change. Each project is conceived as a chapter, linking global perspectives, and blending science, art, literature, and mechanics to craft four succinct and delicately poignant polyglot experiences.

‘River of Stars’ is a monumental new multi-panel bark work and installation by Naminapu Maymuru-White, exploring connection, family and the spiritual life that infinitely binds us all.

Based in Yirrkala, North East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Maymuru-White is a member of the Maŋgalili clan, who uses the sacred clan design (miny’tji) for her birthplace, the sandscapes of Djarrakpi, to create works that evoke the soul’s journey from life to death to rest to rebirth. This year, her work was exhibited as part of the 60th Venice Biennale, ‘Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere’.

Depicting a river, the works in ‘River of Stars’  tell the story of two Guwak men who were destined to lead their clan to their now homeland of Djarrakpi, around 190 km from Yirrkala. Having seen the people settled in their homeland, they bid their farewells and travelled out to sea in a canoe. Hit by a strong tidal wave, they refused help and destined themselves as offerings to the night sky. In that moment, they created a new path for the souls of their people to travel. The souls of the men – and all subsequent Maŋgalili – are seen today in the Milky Way.

Looking at the sky as a reflection of our shared humanity, ‘River of Stars’ places a dual emphasis on story and ancestry. Accompanied by a rare celestial map from the Sunderland collection, the exhibition speaks to Breguet’s emphasis on history, exploration and astronomy. Celebrates the transmission of knowledge and connection over time, the presentation highlights Maymuru-White and Breguet’s parallel ways of weaving together past, present and future.  

Naminapu Maymuru-White, installation shot at Frieze London, 2024. Photography by Ben Broomfield Photography

Courtesy the artist, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka & Sullivan+Strumpf, Australia

Naminapu Maymuru-White is one of the the first Yolŋu women to be taught to paint miny’tji (sacred creation clan designs), and is an elder with a belief in sharing her knowledge and experience with her family. Her works are of historic and continuing significance as a Maŋgalili clan member and contemporary artist in her own right. Her fluid and unrestrained compositions distinguish her as a highly unique and innovative Yolŋu artist.