SUNA (Middle Ground)

SUNA (Middle Ground)    

25 July 2025 – 22 November 2025 

Artist: Yuriyal Bridgeman

Curator: Jocelyn Flynn

Curatorial/Cultural Advisor: Aunty Sana Balai

Yuriyal Bridgeman’s monumental installation SUNA (Middle Ground) 2020 is a beacon for storytelling, idea-sharing, and connection. Represented on the front lawn of the University of Queensland Art Museum is a raun haus (traditional Papua New Guinea Highlands round house) that is the artist’s home and the heart of Bridgeman’s extended family, the Yuri Alaiku tribe and his renowned practice in the Waghi Valley in PNG.  

In the Waghi Valley, the raun haus serves as the meeting point for the collective founded by Bridgeman, Haus Yuriyal. More than just their studio, the raun haus is a safe place to gather in times of tribal warfare, as well as to share and exchange cultural knowledge through artmaking. As Bridgeman states, “Suna is a word in Yuri language used to describe a middle ground, a safe and central location in a village ideal for gathering, and distant enough from potential conflicts at the borders… Our headquarters is a place of collaborative learning and expression where we tell stories, address conflict, party, draw, paint, film, photograph and come together at times when it is most needed”.  

Audiences are invited by the artist to step into SUNA (Middle Ground) in the spirit of original as an action to connect, share, and exchange, to overcome difference and create pathways of deeper understanding of one another.

Artist Biography: Yuriyal Bridgeman was born in Kau-in Kau-in/Redcliffe, Turrbal Country in 1986. He continues to live and work there. He belongs to the Yuri Alaiku tribe, Wahgi Valley, PNG. SUNA (Middle Ground) was first commissioned for NIRIN: Biennale of Sydney in 2020 and is represented here in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the PNG Independence. Courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane/Meanjin. 

Visiting SUNA (Middle Ground)

This installation is located on the UQ Art Museum lawn and can be viewed at any time. The interior is open between 11am-2pm, Tuesday-Saturday. During busy periods, you may be asked to wait so that we can make sure it's a great experience for everyone and that the installation is kept safe. Enjoy your visit!

Project Team: 
Project Manager: Isobel Searles  
Production: Llewellyn Millhouse, Jasper Coleman, Emma Gardner, Shannon O’Hara, Dan McCabe, Jose Pincheira, Braelyn Rolfe-Chase
Registration: Effie Skoufa-Klesnik, Morgan Tasker  
Artist Assistants: Alison Wel, Dylan Bolger, Paul Tabuai, Jack Hardy, Harrison Owen, Nhat Tam Truing, Nicole Gulwell, Sam Sharman
Builder: Venn Constructions Pty Ltd

Audio courtesy of the following contributors:
Jukka Harjula; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Scott Baker; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library 
Rosemary Lloyd; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library 
Marek Lakowski; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library 
Pam Rasmussen; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library 

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.