The Yolŋu Artist’s Journey to the Top
Gaypalani Wanambi, a 30-year-old Yolŋu artist from Yirrkala in the Northern Territory’s northeast Arnhem Land, has won Australia’s most prestigious Aboriginal art award, the $100,000 Telstra Art Award, for her towering etched metal work titled “Burwu, blossom 2025”.
The Inspiration Behind the Artwork
According to Wanambi, the artwork was inspired by her late father, renowned artist Wukun Wanambi, who passed away in 2022. Wanambi has always been fascinated by her father’s work, which included renditions of thousands of tiny fish, and has now followed in his footsteps to create a unique piece that pays tribute to him.
- She began by creating a series of designs based on the honey from the freshwater country, which she showed to her father for approval.
- Her father’s response was to tell her to take the design as her own and paint it when he was no longer with her.
- Wanambi’s artwork, “Burwu, blossom 2025”, tells the story of Wuyal, an ancestor who founded the Marrakulu clan homeland at Gurka’wuy by felling a Wanambi tree causing a river of honey.
The Artwork’s Composition
The artwork is composed of almost three metres high and wide, with a unique composition of recycled road signs etched and spray painted to shimmer on one side and retain driver warnings on the other. The stacked recycled road signs stretch nearly three metres high, creating a striking visual effect.
| Height | 3 metres |
| Width | 3 metres |
The Judges’ Praise
The judges praised Wanambi’s work for presenting “two worlds with two sides”, a theme that is also reflected in the 2025 collective works. The judges noted that the artwork presented a unique blend of Yolŋu culture and modern materials, showcasing Wanambi’s skill and creativity.
The Significance of the Award
The Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards have launched the careers of some of Australia’s most significant Aboriginal artists. Wanambi’s win is a testament to her talent and dedication to her craft, and she is now poised to take on the world with her art.
The judges also praised the collective works, which reflect the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing across generations. Wanambi’s artwork is a testament to the enduring power of Yolŋu culture and the importance of passing down knowledge and stories from one generation to the next.
The full list of winners is available on the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards website. The winners include:
* Telstra Art Award ($100,000) – Gaypalani Wanambi for “Burwu, blossom 2025”
* General Painting Award ($15,000) – Iluwanti Ken for “Walawuru Tjurkpa (Eagle story) 2025”
* Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Award ($15,000) – Owen Yalandja for “Ngalkodjek Yawkyawk 2025”
* Bark Painting Award ($15,000) – Lucy Yarawanga for “Bawáliba & Ngalyod 2024”
* Multimedia Award ($15,000) – Jahkarli Felicitas Romanis for “Pitta Pitta (Extracted) and Pitta Pitta (Google’s Gaze) 2025”
* Emerging Artist Award ($15,000) – Sonia Gurrpulan Guyula for “Mat 2025”
“I began to paint the honey from the freshwater country,” Wanambi said before claiming the top prize at Darwin’s Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory on Friday. “I showed those designs to him… that is when he told me: ‘Great! You will now take this design as your own and you will paint this when I am no more.’”
“It really reflects that we’re the oldest living culture in the world and our stories and knowledge have been passed down through those generations,” said Gallery curator Kate ten Buuren.
“We go out on the Arnhem Highway or just in the town looking for one of these,” Dhukumul, Wanambi’s sister, told reporters. “When we find them we go back home and make it smooth, spray it with some spray paint that’s black and then we do honey bees and the flowers of the stringybark tree.
