Regina Pilawuk Wilson

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Regina Pilawuk Wilson (born 1948) is an Australian Aboriginal artist from the Daly River region in the Northern Territory. She is known for weaving and painting, turning traditional weaving designs into two‑dimensional works, and for creating prints and etchings. She paints syaws (fish nets), warrgarri (dilly bags), and message sticks, often using patterns that echo weaving and body painting.

Life and work
- Wilson learned weaving from her grandmother when she was about ten, collecting grasses, vines, and natural colors to create patterns.
- She and her husband Harold Wilson helped found the Peppimenarti Community in 1971. In 2007, she played a major role in establishing Durrmu Arts at Peppimenarti, which later became the Durrmu Arts Aboriginal Corporation (formed in 2011). Peppimenarti sits on the Daly River floodplains, about 250 kilometers southwest of Darwin, and is a small, close‑knit community of around 150–200 people.
- At Durrmu Arts, Wilson and other women teach weaving and language to younger generations, helping to keep their culture strong. She is a leading figure there and has influenced many artists.

Art practice and style
- Wilson began painting with acrylics in 2001, transferring weaving designs—syaws, dilly bags, wall mats, sun mats, and baskets—onto canvas, prints, and textiles.
- Her work explores the traditional Stitch and weave patterns, including the use of dot painting and body painting motifs (durrmu). She often references message sticks as a source of texture and meaning.
- She also creates silk screen prints and etchings with Basil Hall Editions and Red Hand.

Exhibitions and recognition
- Her art has been shown in major museums and galleries in Australia and internationally, including exhibitions like Floating Life (Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art) and String Theory (Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney).
- She has been a finalist for several important awards, including the Kate Challis RAKA Award, the Togart Award, and the Wynne Prize, and she won the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award for General Painting in 2003 for a syaw painting.
- Her work was included in Talking About Abstraction (2004) and she has participated in the Pacific Arts Festival.

Philosophy and impact
- Wilson believes in keeping traditional designs alive while updating them with new colors and patterns to keep the work interesting for herself and viewers.
- Her art is a way to remember the past, understand the present, and hope for the future. By teaching weaving at Durrmu Arts, she helps pass on cultural knowledge to younger generations and strengthens the identity of her community.