Artists from the Bábbarra Women’s Centre in Maningrida, Northern Territory, and Tharangini Studio in Bengaluru, India, have joined forces to preserve more than 70 Indigenous designs through a unique Australia–India arts collaboration.
Supported by the Centre for Australia–India Relations’ Maitri program, the project saw Bábbarra’s lino designs transformed into hand-carved teak woodblocks by artisans at Tharangini, one of India’s oldest continuously operating woodblock printing studios.
The collaboration began after Bábbarra artists faced the challenge of preserving lino blocks that were deteriorating in the tropical humidity of northern Australia. The woodblock technique offered a more durable way to safeguard the designs and the ancestral stories they represent.
The project, known as Karri-djarrk-durrkmirri — meaning “we work together” in Kuninjku — brought together two women-led creative organisations separated by thousands of kilometres but connected through a shared commitment to preserving cultural heritage.
The designs represent Creation stories, food, weaving and everyday life, with some stories having been passed down through three or four generations of Bábbarra women.
More than 70 designs from Bábbarra’s archives were carefully traced, reviewed and approved by the original artists and cultural custodians before being carved into seasoned teak by Tharangini artisans.
The collaboration also created opportunities for artists from both countries to meet and learn from one another.
Senior Bábbarra artists Deborah Wurrkidj and Janet Marawarr travelled to India in 2023, followed by a larger delegation in 2024.
Tharangini director Padmini Govind later travelled to Maningrida, where she learned firsthand about the cultural significance behind the designs, including stories associated with the Rainbow Serpent.
The collaboration culminated in a joint exhibition at the Bangalore International Centre in 2024, featuring 21 hand-printed textiles made with natural dyes and sustainably sourced fabrics.
The exhibition returned to the Northern Territory in 2025, with some of the woodblocks and lino works set to become part of Maningrida’s community-led museum collection.
The project has also received an Asia Pacific Arts Innovation Award for building creative connections across the region.
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