Gutiŋarra Yunupiŋu

The story of Guti?arra Yunupi?u is inspirational, his journey highlights his achievements and contributions in the fields of filmmaking and art, emphasising his resilience and dedication. Born deaf, Guti?arra successfully overcame numerous challenges to excel academically and professionally. He is noted for being one of the two students in 2015 to graduate Year 12 at Yirrkala Bilingual School. Following his graduation, Guti?arra began his career at The Mulka Project, where he took on the role of Project Officer and filmmaker.

His work as a cameraman has involved documenting cultural ceremonies and events within Yol?u homelands, contributing to the preservation and celebration of�indigenous�traditions. In his role as a film editor, Guti?arra has produced original films and edited ceremonial footage, showcasing his creative skills and technical proficiency. Guti?arra made his directorial debut with�Guti?arra Dj�lkiri (Guti?arra’s Journey)�for the�Our Stories�documentary series on�NITV�in 2017, which focused on Yol?u sign language, his first language. That year, he also produced�Yuta Mulkurr (New Minds), a video piece exhibited at the�Art Gallery of South Australia�as part of�Tarnanthi. His film�Maykarran (Lightening Strike)�was a finalist in the 2018 Digital Portraiture Awards.

In 2019 his contributions to the arts were further recognised when he received the Telstra�NATSIAA Multimedia Award�for his 6k film�Gurru?u mi’ mala (My Connections), which explores his connections to his people and land through the Yol?u kinship system. This work was exhibited at AGSA as part of Tarnanthi 2019 and garnered significant interest. The same year marked his recognition as a finalist for the�NT Young Australian of the Year Awards. Guti?arra’s artistic journey continued to evolve with the collaborative piece�Wata’mi Manikay�for the Sydney Biennale�NIRIN exhibition�at�AGNSW�in 2020, followed by his recognition as a finalist for the�2020 Telstra NATSIAA Awards�for his projection art piece�B�ru Minytji.

In 2021, Guti?arra expanded his artistic repertoire to include illustration, winning the�Ursula Hoff Foundation Acquisitive Award�for his work�Dj�lti Gawu?a�in 2022. His film work�Maralitja�was exhibited at the�4th National Indigenous Art Triennial: Ceremony at the NGA�Canberra in April 2022. In June 2023, he was commissioned to create a digital artwork for the Institute of Modern Art (IMA Brisbane) titled�Fire Tree, which explored the interplay between his culture, clan, land, and Yol?u sign language through digital art. In October 2023, he produced�Buymarr, a contemporary video installation comprised of six illustrations of his homeland, Buymarr, enriched by digital projections of saltwater scenes, seamlessly mapped onto the paper which was exhibited at�Praxis Artspace�in Adelaide as part of the�Goyurrr Exhibition, further cementing his status as an innovative and influential figure in the realm of indigenous art and filmmaking.