User:Gs6bw/Lena Yarinkura

Lena Yarinkura is a multidisciplinary Aboriginal artist famous for her innovative sculptural fiber art, which crosses gender and generational lines. Her experimentation with fiber works and paint changed the perception of fiber art to be seen as contemporary fine art instead of domestic work.

Personal Life
Lena Yarinkura was born in 1961 at Maningrida in northeast Arnhem Land. She is part of the Rembarrnga, Kune, and Burnugku clans. Her mother Lena Djamarrayku (1943-2005) was a skilled weaver. She is married to Bob Burruwal, an artist known for his bark paintings and fiber sculptures.

Artwork
Lena learned to weave by watching her mother and went on to master many skills, such as coiled basketmaking. Yarinkura began her art journey by making baskets and string bags. A breakthrough in her career came when she started painting her fiber art. This innovative move made allowed for her work to be famously identifiable among the works of other Maningrida artists. Yarinkura frequently collaborates with her husband to work as a team. Together, they create figurative fiber art of animals and spirit figures.