By Myles Russell-Cook
The colour blue is dominant in the work of Yolŋu artist Dhambit Munuŋggurr, who first discovered the hue in 2005, when she was left wheelchair bound after a car accident. Her installation for the NGV Triennial
Can we all have a happy life?, 2019–20, is generously supported by Orloff Family Charitable Trust.
Perhaps more so than any other colour, blue has fascinated artists, giving it a unique place in the art world. In all human material culture the colour blue is loaded with meaning. During the Renaissance in Italy, painters coveted lapis lazuli, a semi-precious stone traded to Europe from Siberia, China, Tibet, Iran and Afghanistan. So desirable and so rare was the blue pigment that many painters reserved it for only the most sacred of subjects – the robes of the Virgin Mary.