DRAWSTRING BAGS

‘I listen and hear those words a hundred years away
That is my Grandmother’s Mother’s Country
it seeps down through blood and memory and soaks
into the ground’

Judy Watson

Established in 1985, Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation is a not-for-profit organisation that is 100% Aboriginal-owned by its artists from the remote desert communities of Yuendumu and Nyirripi in Central Australia.  

Made in Australia, this 100% cotton drawsting bag features the incredible artwork by Judy Watson reproduced under license from Warlukurlangu Artists in the Northern Territory. 

A lightweight bag for when you're walking the dog, doing a local bread and milk run up at the shops, or just because you love Judy's amazing colours and design.

Artwork/placement varies between bag so each design is unique and may vary from image shown.

More about the artist:

It was this design that I saw hanging from a small gift store in the Northern New South Wales town of Brunswick Heads. It appealed to me so much and led me to Alperstein Designs and their collaboration with indigenous artists, something I had been searching for. Judy's work is eye-catching, the colours and shapes mesmerising, 

Judy Watson has described her experiences of travelling to her great-grandmother’s country in north-west Queensland, as ‘learning from the ground up’. It is a philosophy she has transplanted on her several journeys and residencies abroad. A distinguished artist, Judy represented Australia at the 1997 Venice Biennale,

Watson’s matrilineal link to the country of her ancestors has always been central to her printmaking and painting. The hidden histories of Indigenous experience on the colonial frontier – particularly those of women – continue to inspire her. Watson seeks the indelible impressions of past presence on the landscape – rubbings, engravings and incisions – and subtly inscribes them upon her work. 

Through her art, Watson repatriates the human artefacts and objects of collected cultures in museum storehouses, and reveals the ‘skeletons’ in colonial ‘closets’:

This magnificent artist interview by the Tate Gallery gives us an insight into Judy's work and inspiration. Along with her pieces, Judy's journey into understanding her grandmother's and great grandmother's stories,  also helps us to confront Aboriginal history in this country. Watch out for Judy's mum Joyce. She's a national treasure!

Sometimes we want a lightweight bag to take on errands. Ditching the sweaty leather, synthetic or man-made material for 100% cotton is an easy decision when you have designs featuring works by some of Australia's talented artists such as First Nations artist Watson Robertson. 

Watson Jangala Robertson was born into a family of established Warlpiri artists and grew up in the Yuendumu community, located 290 km north-west of Alice Springs. His family would take him out bush, around Nyirripi and Yuendumu, showing him sites and teaching him the traditional ways of his country. 

Watson doesn't restrict his colour palette to depict his traditional iconography so he has developed a modern individual style, using bold designs in many ways. 

Just as he was taught growing up, he often spends time hunting for food and bush tucker with family and friends, hunting for food such as goanna, kangaroo, snake, and witchetty grubs as well as bush tucker, such as native currants, bush potato and bush banana.

Established in 1985, Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation is an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu and Nyirripi. Watson began to paint with the corporation in 2016.

As shown, Watson paints his Mother’s Watiya-warnu Jukurrpa (Seed Dreaming - top) and his grandfather’s Ngapa Jukurrpa – Puyurru (Water Dreaming - bottom), stories passed down to him through the many generations such as creation stories that relate to his family’s traditional country.

These traditions stretch back for millennia.

Each Watson Robertson drawstring bag has a unique print placement so each will  differ slightly from the image shown. Information about Watson Robertson is included with the artwork.

This lightweight and practical 100% cotton drawstring bag feature the incredible artwork based on 'Madja' (Rainforest) from the Wurarr-wurrarr (Dragonfly) Collection by Sheryl J Burchill. 

This design really stands out and evokes the user to consider what the motifs mean. At Fora, we feel privileged to share such designs and we hope that the stories behind them inspire and inform you too.

Artist Sheryl J Burchill counts being able to share all she has learned about her culture through her art as a blessing. She aims to inform her knowledge then use her understanding of Kuku Yalanji culture of Mossman - traditional stories and lifestyle – to express her ideas in a contemporary way.

Each drawstring bag is unique and the print placement varies from bag to bag. Included is information about the artist and artwork (swing tag). They are Made in Australia and royalties go directly back to the artist.

Dimensions (Approx): 
Bag: 30cm x 45cm.

More about Sheryl J Burchill:

The stories passed down to Sheryl by her mother and grandparents, in tandem with the landscape and the environment inspires Sheryl's artwork. Connection with her culture and the sense of knowing where she comes from, keeps her grounded and take on life's challenges.

Kuku Yalanji Name: Walbul-walbul (Butterfly)
Language Group: Kuku Yalanji & Kuku Nyungkal
Traditional Lands: Mossman, Daintree, Shipton’s Flat, China Camp - North Queensland, Australia.

Learn more about Australia's true rainforest people, the Kuku Yalanji people,  here

Sometimes we don't want to be laden with a heavy or sweaty leather bag or backpack. This lightweight drawstring bag is perfect for those times.

Made in Australia, this 100% drawstring bag features the incredible artwork of Daisy Moss reproduced under license from the Artists of Ampilatwatja, pronounced um-bludder-witch).

Australia's diverse flora and natural settings provide a canvas of stunning colours. The work is recognisably distinct from those of artists of other Aboriginal communities. The land is often depicted in bright, figurative motifs and the dots are used are very fine.

The Artists of Ampilatwatja community was established in 1999 near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

Artwork/placement varies between bags so each design is unique and may vary from image shown. 

Dimensions: 30cm x 45 cm.
Made in Australia

More about the artist Daisy Moss: