Lily Roy
Lily Roy
Miṉḏirr (conical basket)
Miwana grass, 22x15x15cm, 2022
Miṉḏirr (conical baskets) are common across Arnhem Land. The material, form and aesthetic of miṉḏirr is informed by the artist's country and clan as well as the intended function of the specific piece. Miṉḏirr are, at once, poetic objects that are central to ceremonial and everyday practical life. They are also contemporary art objects that express the artists identity.
Lily Roy is a senior Walamungu woman. She is a respected cultural practitioner and one of a handful of living fluent Yanhaŋu speakers who were instrumental in developing a Yan-nhaŋu dictionary with her late mother-in-law, Laurie Baymarrwangga. Roy is also a celebrated fibre artist, maker of mindirr (conical baskets), an-gujechiya (jungle vine fish trap) and djulnyirr (round-feathered mats that represent saltwater bubbles). Roy has extensive experience in community governance. She sat on the Boards of Milingimbi Art & Culture, ANKA, the Arnhem Land Progress Association (ALPA), the Milingimbi Resource Centre and the Milingimbi Community Council.