Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre is the Indigenous community controlled art centre run by the Yolŋu People of the Miwatj or Northeast Arnhem Land.
The art centre is located in Yirrkala, a small Aboriginal community, approximately 700km east of Darwin. The art centre started in 1975. One of the most inspirational figures in Yulu art is Narritjin Maymuru. He started his own little art enterprise out of a shed not far from the art centre now and he sort of pioneered the enterprise and then the art centre was established in 1975 and it still is a non-profit Indigenous owned business run by the community.
Talking to Will Stubbs one of the coordinators from the centre he explains “The Elders wanted to control their own destiny and protect their sacred art. The designs of the land need to stay in the hands of the owners of that land. We have a duty to pass on that knowledge. We need to use our resources to stay in our homelands and care for the country.”