Contemporary artist Elizabeth Yanyi Close’s 2020 mural Untitled flowing through Flinders University’s Yunggorendi Tjilbruke student lounge serves as a companion piece to her 2019 work Riptide in the Sturt Precinct’s carpark thirteen. Inspired by the environment surrounding Flinders University, the artist shared that her vision for the Yunggorendi Tjilbruke mural was closely aligned with that of Riptide. Yet beyond this connection to place, the mural also offered Yanyi Close an opportunity to contribute to the culturally safe and welcoming spirit of the student lounge: a shared space for all Australian First Nations students studying at Flinders University to use. This opportunity held meaningful personal significance for Yanyi Close as an Anangu woman and Flinders alumna with firsthand experience of walking in the “two worlds” of tertiary and cultural education and knowledge. [1]
The artist designed her narrative around this concept of journey, affirming: “the large, curved wall honours where students have come from and where they are going [...] while the variations in pattern reflect the many different places [from] rolling hills to coastal communities [and] rocky landscapes across the nation”.[2] This expansive cultural inclusivity combined with a strong community focus lies at the heart of Yunggorendi Tjilbruke, and reflects the pursuit of true self determination and empowerment championed by the artist.
[1] Elizabeth Yanyi Close, interview for Untitled (2020), Flinders University, 2020, audio, 00:57, https://youtu.be/ADUqtLis4J0.
[2] Elizabeth Yanyi Close, " Vibrant mural centre stage of Indigenous lounge makeover," interview by Megan Andrews, Flinders in Touch, July 28, 2020, https://blogs.flinders.edu.au/fit/2020/07/28/vibrant-mural-centre-stage-of-indigenous-lounge-makeover/.
