Bajirru! there you all are, hello! From the Yanyuwa language of Balarinji’s origin community Borroloola NT

Jinangu awara wabarrangu barra kalu-wingka marnijinju wabudala kari-nguthundawabarrangu jinangu Australia li-wulu marnaji barra liyi-Yanyuwawu awara li-Marranbala li-Arrwangala li-Gudanji jinangu awara Burrulula marnaji yamulhu

Our Country we belong to is Borroloola. Yanyuwa, Marra, Gudanji and Garrawa people.We welcome everyone to this land Australia.

Yanyuwa elder Samuel Evans Jamika

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. are respectfully advised this website contains references, artworks and images of people who have passed

Balarinji’s Flying Art design, Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa, wins major design awards

The lastest Qantas-Balarinji Flying Art fuselage design, Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa, created by Balarinji, Australia’s foremost Indigenous design studio, in collaboration with Pitjantjatjara artist Maringka Baker, has taken won Gold in two major Australian design awards.

These awards include Good Design Awards Gold Winner in the Communication Design category for exceptional design and innovation; and a Sydney Design Awards Gold Winner in the Graphic Design: Identity and Branding category.

The Good Design Awards Jury commented: “The Jury extends their heartfelt congratulations to the Balarinji Design Team and Maringka Baker for their exceptional work on the Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa Art Aircraft. This project is distinguished by its intricate and culturally profound design, which eloquently conveys the Two Sisters Creation story. The artwork exemplifies both the artist’s and the agency’s dedication to honoring and preserving Australian Indigenous culture through outstanding design. This remarkable piece not only highlights Australian art and design but also elevates its global presence. The execution is both beautiful and meticulous. Congratulations on this outstanding achievement.”

Launched in February 2024, the A220 Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa Art Aircraft is an important and powerful expression of Australian identity. Telling the Two Sisters Creation story, through design excellence it celebrates family, resilience and the principles of caring for Country.

Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa is the sixth aircraft in the Qantas-Balarinji Flying Art Series since 1994 with the launch of Wunala Dreaming.

Balarinji Co-Founder and Managing Director, Ros Moriarty, said, “We are extremely honoured that the fuselage design for this Art Aircraft has been recognised with these two awards. Congratulations to the acclaimed Maringka Baker and her family whom we worked with, and to our long term partner and reconciliation leader, Qantas Airways.”

Founded in 1983, Balarinji’s contribution to design by communicating Australia’s Indigenous narrative has been profound. From the Balarinji-Qantas Flying Art Aircraft collection spanning four decades to its disruptive Designing with Country methodology transforming major infrastructure projects nationally, Balarinji has honoured culture, community and Country with its award-winning design products, projects and campaigns.

John Moriarty and Ros Moriarty began their design journey after the birth in Melbourne of their first son Tim Bundyan, creating turtle images that they screen-printed onto his bed linen to keep him connected with his Yanyuwa heritage. Naming their design enterprise Balarinji, after the skin name of their two sons, Tim and James Djawarralwarral, the studio was born from these simple beginnings.

Balarinji Co-Founder, Cultural Director and Chair, Yanyuwa man John Moriarty AM, said, “Our vision was to celebrate the heritage and identity of our three children – Tim, James and Julia Marrayelu. We began to realise over time that our family’s personal identity journey could resonate with Australia’s broader search for a unique belonging in the world.”

“There is much for everyone to learn from the deep, interconnected relationship we have as Aboriginal people with the physical and spiritual elements of Country. It is about belonging, where language, culture, knowledge, Dreaming, Law, and Ceremony are interdependent and one with Country,” added Mr Moriarty.

Balarinji’s philosophy is deeply inspired by John Moriarty’s history. Born in the late 1930s to a Yanyuwa mother and Irish father in Borroloola, a remote community in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, John was taken from his home at the age of four as part of the Stolen Generations, a government strategy to assimilate Aboriginal children. The policy’s purpose was to eliminate cultural practice and language. It was not until 1968 at the age of 30, that John was able to return to Borroloola to reunite with his family, culture and Country.

Growing up in Tasmania, Ros Moriarty spent much of her childhood around the island’s mountains and lakes, and knew the calm and regeneration of time in pristine landscapes. As a young researcher in Central Australia, then on family visits back to Borroloola, she began to understand something of the deeper meaning of Country to Aboriginal people. She has dedicated her professional life to working with John in partnership, and with their teams, to grow and share their aspirations for Australia’s founding cultural identity.

Balarinji is recognised for its unparalleled contribution to building bridges of best practice participation between Aboriginal communities, businesses and the broader community.