Creative Australia has announced that the Northern Territory’s Bábbarra Women’s Centre, in partnership with India’s Tharangini Studio, has been honoured with the Innovation Award at the 2025 Asia Pacific Arts Awards.
The award was in recognition of their groundbreaking collaborative exhibition ‘Karri-djarrk-durrkmirri’, which links Arnhem Land and Bangalore through shared textile practices.
The Asia Pacific Arts Awards celebrate outstanding contributions to cultural life across the region, and the Innovation Award specifically recognises a unique practice, project or process that builds creative links in the Asia Pacific region.
Bábbarra Women’s Centre, located in Maningrida in the Djelk Indigenous Protected Area of Arnhem Land, was established in 1987 as a women’s shelter under the leadership of Helen Williams and Helen Bond-Sharp.
One of the core elements of the longevity of the Bábbarra Women’s Centre is respect for cultural identity.
“Cultural identity underpins all the work, relationships and day-to-day operations at the Bábbarra Women’s Centre,” said Centre Manager Jessica Stalenberg.
“It determines what artists are permitted to draw or print, what stories can be shared, and it affects marital relations and living arrangements.”
Today, the Bábbarra Women’s Centre Centre represents over 50 First Nations women artists from six language groups, who design textiles illustrating the rich cultural narratives of West Arnhem Land, employing screen-printing and lino-printing techniques on fabric.
Through themes such as bush tucker, hunting, weaving, totems and Djang (ancestral stories), the artists pass on their distinct methodology to younger artist, their work rooted in rarrk (cross-hatching) carving techniques.
Tharangini Studio, established in 1977 in Bangalore by Lakshmi Srivathsa and now managed by her daughter Padmini Govind, is one of the last surviving heritage woodblock studios in South India.
Under Padmini’s leadership, Tharangini has earned a NEST Ethical Seal of Compliance (fair trade) and preserves ancient South Indian block-printing traditions. Their work champions eco-friendly pigments, fair wages and the preservation of generational knowledge.
During Bábbarra Designs’ first visit to India in 2022, artists Janet Marawarr, Deborah Wurrkidj and Jessica Stalenberg discovered a deep connection with Tharangini Studio.
“Both centres are women-led, promoting organic pigments and ethical production, and investing in intergenerational knowledge sharing,” Stalenberg said.
“When we first arrived in Bengaluru, the scent of botanicals, the sound of printing, and the chatter of women felt strangely familiar, even though we were 7,000 kilometres from home.”
The resulting exhibition Karri-djarrk-durrkmirri (we work together) brought 19 First Nations artists from Bábbarra to Bangalore for a ten-day woodblock-printing workshop.
Under the guidance of master carvers Shri C.H. Sreeram and Shri S.K. Rajak, participants translated eighty historic lino-print designs, some over 30 years old and at risk of decay, into durable teak woodblocks, archiving endangered imagery and ensuring its longevity for generations to come.
“The lino designs, many made by artists who have since passed away, were crumbling in Maningrida’s humid conditions,” Stalenberg said.
“Transferring them to woodblock form preserves important cultural heritage.”
For Bábbarra artist Janet Marawarr, cultural permission is paramount.
“All the Bábbarra women know what they are allowed to paint,” Marawarr said.
“We would never work on a design unless we are djungkay (a custodian through the maternal line) for that story or totem. We listen with our ears, we learn using our eyes. We know what we can paint.”
Alice Nash, Executive Director Arts Investment at Creative Australia, praised this year’s recipients. “The recipients of these awards exemplify the depth and diversity of the arts in our region,” Nash said.
“They have created work that is deeply engaged and impactful, resonating within communities and across international borders.”
Reflecting on the Innovation Award win, Jessica Stalenberg said, “Karri-djarrk-durrkmirri is a clear and meaningful demonstration of how First Nations communities can benefit each other through considered, consensual sharing of cultural knowledge.”
Karri-djarrk-durrkmirri is on display from 12 June 2025, at Tactile Arts in Darwin, accompanied by a public program including lino and woodblock printing workshops.
Tharangini Studio’s Padmini Govind will travel from India to lead demonstrations, and five Bábbarra artists will journey from Maningrida to present their work.
Upcoming plans include a woodblock workshop at Bábbarra Women’s Centre in Arnhem Land, where Tharangini facilitators will continue to teach and learn alongside First Nations artists.
The 2025 Asia Pacific Arts Awards are being marked with intimate gatherings across three states, ahead of a sector-wide event later in the year.
For details on all Award recipients and upcoming celebrations, visit 2025 Asia Pacific Arts Awards.
