Shirley Macnamara’s practice centers on weaving vessels made from spinifex runner roots. In 2013, however, Macnamara began to make skullcaps reminiscent of a customary funerary practice in which the heads of Aboriginal women were plastered with white clay or burnt gypsum to form a cap, covering their hair completely. The wearing of this cap could extend for weeks to months, with successive coatings making it heavy and uncomfortable for the widow or female relative of the deceased to wear.

Skullcap 2013 is not an imitation of the caps found in museum collections and illustrations, but is Macnamara’s artistic response to the funerary tradition. It is made from ochre-covered spinifex embellished with emu feathers, which allude to those used to decorate Australian soldiers’ hats. The artist’s intention is to honour First Nations men who represented Australia in two world wars, never to return to their loved ones. With this artwork, Macnamara hopes to ensure that Indigenous soldiers are no longer forgotten.