ARTIST and 2011 CAPO Fellowship winner, Heather Burness, will give a floor talk at Nomad Art Gallery in Manuka on Saturday about  the current exhibition, “From Yirrkala saltwater freshwater flow,” a show of works by Canberra-based Burness and Naminapu Maymuru White, an artist from Arnhem Land. 

The flow between freshwater and saltwater is significant for the Yolngu people of eastern Arnhem Land. The confluence water is an important symbol and a fertile zone for the plants and animals.

In this exhibition, Burness has worked at expressing this confluence and its meaning with Yirrkala artist Naminapu Maymuru White both in here and in Yirrkala. They have recently completed an etching for Naminapu that had a long period between the beginning of the plates and the final printing.

Burness taught White the intricacies  of multi-plate colour etching and in return visited Yirrkala and was introduced to the area of saltwater meeting freshwater in the local river. The etching plates were exposed to this environment and then taken back to the studio in Canberra for printing up.

White is a successful artist and teacher who won the Best Work on Paper award at the 13th National Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander Telstra Art Awards with a triptych linocut.

Heather Burness floor talk, at Nomad Art Gallery Manuka, Shop 11 M Centre, Palmerston Lane, 2pm, Saturday, October 13. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday 1-5, closed Sunday and Monday. “From Yirrkala saltwater freshwater flow” closes October 20.