The Cross Art Projects foregrounds contemporary work and curatorial projects that reflect the multiple relationships between art, life and the public sphere, and explores the boundaries of this context. We are attentive to the local without sacrificing the scope of Indigenous and international views. Cross Art enhances its projects with conversations, walks and events.
Acknowledgement
We are on Gadigal Land where Sovereignty has never been ceded. Australia always was and always will be, Aboriginal land. We work towards an inclusive culture and society with equal rights for all.
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Gadigal Country
8 Llankelly Place,
Kings Cross, Sydney 2011
Australia
Opening Hours
11am to 5pm Thursday to Saturday
(Saturday close at 4pm)
Closed public holidays.
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Minga Yuwankui / Ancient Body Markings
Alfonso (Hardy) Puautjimi Jnr
Gordon Pupangamirri
Marie Yvonne Tipuamantumirri
Opening Saturday 4 July at 3pm
Exhibition runs 4 July to 15 August 2026
Proudly presented by Ngaruwanajirri Inc at Wurrumiyanga, Tiwi Islands
‘Minga are the initiation scars from the old times. Jilamara are the designs we paint on our body and face for ceremony like funerals, kulama, yoyi [dance].’ — Gordon Pupangamirri
Minga yuwankui are the Tiwi words used to describe the traditional body scarification practices undertaken during initiation ceremonies. Since colonisation, these designs have evolved from permanent scarification to non-permanent ochre body painting and the significant Tiwi design tradition known as jilamara. Today, these designs continue to be painted on our bodies and faces for important ceremonies including funerals, kulama (an ancient and deeply spiritual initiation ceremony), and yoyi (dance). The designs have been passed down through generations, from the minga to the jilamara seen in our contemporary art practices. They continue to find expression through painting, carving, printmaking, and ochre body painting.