Manggan – gather, gathers, gathering
Manggan is an exhibition of cultural objects made by Indigenous artists from Far North Queensland’s rainforest regions, specifically the nine Traditional Owner tribal groups represented by Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre (GAAC).1 Contemporary artworks by nineteen2 artists are being shown alongside historical objects from the South Australian Museum (SAM). Photographs and two short documentaries by Debra Murray provide geographical and cultural context. The project has brought traditional owners into contact with objects created by their ancestors, freeing the objects from museum storage to tour fourteen venues across Australia, including their Far North Queensland home.
The origins of Manggan, the exhibition as it exists today, is part of a larger project that began eight years ago. In 2010 Girramay traditional owner and acknowledged weaver Abe Muriata visited SAM to view artefacts. This trip opened up the possibility of further exploration of the collection to identify the number and nature of objects from Girringun country. In 2012 Dr Valérie Boll, who was then a SAM Honorary Research Associate and a volunteer artsworker at GAAC, visited SAM and saw an exhibition space she thought would work for a show by the Girringun artists. Three years and three grant applications later, a group of artists from GAAC travelled to SAM to find out how much of their material culture was kept there and to choose some pieces to be included in the Manggan exhibition. Manggan opened at SAM in November 2016 and ran for three months to a very enthusiastic audience.
SAM Director at the time, Professor John Carty, had by then formed strong links with the Girringun artists and art centre manager Dr Valerie Keenan. The connection was formed during the