in Alice Springs, ancient Anmatyerr designs are taking on a new form. Emerging artist Martin Mbitjana Hagan is using native grasses and ochres to bring cultural stories to life while launching his first solo exhibition.
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00:00On the gallery floor and hung from the walls, crushed native grass and ochre takes shape in bold new forms.
00:09Martin Mubichina-Hagan brings a majida ceremony into a contemporary setting,
00:14sharing stories carried through his family for thousands of years.
00:19I'm telling the same story as my old people did.
00:21So I'm sharing with the rest of Australia and the world my majida designs.
00:26The crushed paint is sealed with acrylic binder, preserving what was once ephemeral body paint into lasting sculptural and portrait form.
00:36It's very exciting to bring a very traditional medium for making artwork into a contemporary dimension and a contemporary form.
00:47The gallery also features some of Vincent Namadjira's work.
00:50Known for his satirical style, Namadjira's political lens brings a sharp contrast to Hagan's focus on sharing a majida ceremony and cultural identity.
01:00I just wanted to showcase my culture and my history, my identity, I showed to Australia and the rest of the world to learn our culture.
01:10Two artists, two approaches, one powerful thread, carrying culture forward through art.