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๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ซ๐ข๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช is part of Ricky Emmertonโs PhD studies at James Cook University. He has introduced the Kalkatungu words mintja (shine) and puni (to-make or to-cause) to investigate how mintja aesthetics in Indigenous art relate to spirituality. In cultural art practices, โto mintjapuniโ involves painting or decorating the body, objects, or the ground to enhance spiritual power, whether for ceremonial or everyday applications. Focusing on Kalkatungu art, Emmerton identified a lack of aesthetic appreciation and critique of Indigenous art more broadly. Seeking deeper insight, he gathered firsthand accounts from Elders, community members, and other Kalkatungu artists throughout North Queensland. Through yarning and interviews, he found that Kalkatungu people himself includedโaspire to maintain cultural integrity by fostering spiritual connections with their ancestors and Country. The spiritual aesthetics of mintja serve as one powerful means of affirmation in this ongoing cultural practice.
This exhibition will be on display alongside ๐๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ (๐๐ข๐ณ๐ต 1) and ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐จ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด from 29 November 2025 until 3 May 2026.
Image: Ricky Emmerton, ๐๐ถ๐ถ ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช [detail] 2022, acrylic on canvas, 112 x 66 cm. Image courtesy of the artist. Photography by Andrew Rankin
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