AusArt Day 2026

While the unique textile tradition used to create this beautiful storycloth masterpiece is no longer practiced, your generosity can breathe new life into its legacy. This is a special opportunity to protect an irreplaceable cultural treasure and keep its story alive for generations to come. Every gift helps us carefully conserve this important artwork and share its rich history with a broader audience through upcoming exhibitions.

To make this possible, MAGNT is seeking donations to fund essential conservation treatment. We are partnering with the experts at Artlab Australia in Adelaide, who will provide the specialized technical care and equipment needed to safely preserve the delicate textiles—resources that are unfortunately not available in the Northern Territory. With your support, we can ensure this irreplaceable piece of cultural heritage is protected and celebrated.

This temple hanging (tabing) is a lively example of a storycloth practice exclusive to women embroiderers in the town of Negara, West Bali in Indonesia. Using a remarkable variety of intricate hand-stitching techniques, the artform is notable for its animated rendering of characters from popular narratives in all the colours of the rainbow. The names of figures are typically stitched into the scene. It is thought that this textile tradition is no longer being practised. This storycloth depicts a famous episode from the Ramayana, an Indian epic popular across Southeast Asia which was introduced to Indonesia around 930 CE. In this scene, Jatayu the vulture is trying to protect Princess Sita from abduction by the ogre Rahwana. At left, Rahwana is shown riding Wilmana, his winged partner in this attempted crime. Intriguingly, the artist has included figures unrelated to the tale: two naga serpents and their human wives.