Damien & Yilpi Marks

The design is from an original painting of Damien’s country. Mt. Liebig, west of Papunya. Damien’s great grandfather and his family are travelling through the desert towards Kintore, collecting food. In the bottom right hand corner the sun is setting over a hillside. The family stops to camp at different places along the way. The red concentric circles are dry rockholes that are filled with clean water that flows on into the creek. The red stripes coming out of the centre of the right hand side of the painting lead to one of these waterholes – these are the tracks of the family walking through the sand. In this painting you can also see spinifex bushes (the yellow star-like symbols), and dry claypans with cracks in the earth. These beautiful, unique rugs are a cross-cultural collaboration combining Aboriginal designs and traditional Tibetan rug-making techniques. Hand-knotted, using hand dyed wool, each is a made in a community auspiced by the Dali Llama’s Government in exile in Kathmandu. This project is unusual because the rug is owned by the artists, rather than licensed to a third party. A more empowering way to work, this brings many direct benefits to the artists’ and their community. Control and ownership of intellectual property are also maintained. Purchase of these rugs guarantees a direct return to the Aboriginal artist and their community.