The special ceremony on Thursday, 22 February 2024 was held in the heart of Australia at Ayers Rock Airport on Anangu Country so Pitjantjatjara artist Maringka Baker could see her beautiful artwork on the QantasLink A220 aircraft for the first time, surrounded by her family, friends and community.
Working closely with Maringka and her family, Balarinji created the fuselage design for Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa. It features more than 20,000 dots, making it the most complex design Airbus has ever painted onto an aircraft.
The ceremony also included special performances of Inma by the women in Maringka’s family, retelling parts of the Two Sisters Creation Story.
Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa tells the Creation story of the Two Sisters. In the story two sisters are travelling back to their home. The younger sister has been lost for a long time in the south, and her big sister leads her north across vast distances. Comforting her younger sister, the older sister teaches her about the Country they travel through. They stop on the way to perform Inma (sacred singing and dancing).
Balarinji is proud to have designed this beautiful livery, working with Maringka and her family, Tjungu Palya Arts Centre, Copyright Agency, Qantas and Airbus.
