Born and raised in Kunbarlanja, Maralngurra is the oldest of seven children. Maralngurra's entry into Aboriginal art began through the guidance of his uncle, Thompson Yulidjirri. During his childhood, Yulidjirri brought him to witness the rock paintings on Injalak Hill. This exposure sparked Maralngurra's artistic inspiration, drawing from the richly adorned rock art galleries throughout western Arnhem Land.[2]
In Aboriginal Australian cultures, Dreaming is the word used to explain the origin of life, cultural values, and law of the regions. To Aboriginal peoples, it represents the time when the accessorial spirits progressed over their land and gave it life.[3] It is these stories that have been passed down through cultural traditions of body painting, storytelling, song and dance from his ancestry that have greatly influenced his art.
Career
Maralngurra is known for working with ochre on paper, as well as keeping the traditional forms of rock art, while combining new innovative techniques. Since he began painting, his artistic practice has been characterised by the breadth and depth of subjects, as well as fluent linework and highly original compositions.[4] The purpose of many of his paintings are to draw the attention of non-Indigenous viewers who do not understand or even realise his culture exists. The artistic style of the Kunwinjku people from Western Arnhem Land retains a strong influence from the traditional rock art of the area. It is reimagined thematically as a narrative that encompasses a blend of "intense emotions like yearning, passion, supernatural elements, and retribution."[5] With Maralngurra's artwork, he aims to ensure that the tradition and practice of painting in the Arnhem Land is not lost, but passed down to the younger generations. As an artist, his artistic oeuvre covers a diverse range of subjects, spanning depictions of ancestral stories, flora and fauna, as well as scenes portraying the initial interactions between colonisers and Aboriginal people.[6] In doing this, Maralngurra employs innovative techniques when passing down stories, traditions, and practices of his culture in the Arnhem Land. He does this through expressing his relationship with the natural world.
One of Maralngurra's most notable achievements includes being one of the founding members of Injalak Arts in the 1980s.[1] Injalak Hill remains a centre for tourism due to its decorated rock art imagery from over thousands of year ago.[7] During the "contact" period, artists persisted in creating rock art despite growing encroachments on their territories, diseases, and conflicts on the frontier. Nestled in a remote rock shelter on Injalak Hill, a specific rock painting narrates a unique tale of cultural interaction. Dubbed by Aboriginal traditional owners as the "Buffaroo", it likely blends a traditional motif - the kunj or kangaroo - with a recently introduced creature - the nganaparru or water buffalo.[7] This life-sized painting of the "Buffaroo" likely represents a period of experimentation for the Aboriginal artists as they familiarised themselves with depicting a newly introduced animal in that region.[8]
It is these traditional rock art paintings that continue to inspire Maralngurra's paintings. His artworks often illustrate local fauna, spirit figures such as the Mimih spirit, and Dreaming narratives (or djang). However, he always finds a way to add his own narrative flair and eternal coherence that is unique to art in the Arnhem Land.[citation needed]
This innovative mimicking of rock art has been referred to as "rock art style" and is intended to combine the ancient aspects of rock art with new techniques, such as printing on paper and the use of Reckitt blue. This innovation steams both from Maralngurra's desire to innovate and to sell copies around the world.[9]
He attributes most of his painting education to his elder, Thompson Yulidjirri, who has always played an important role in the teaching of younger generations.[2] He has picked up on many of his painting techniques such as the x-ray and rarrk (cross-hatching) technique, and has taught Maralngurra how to combine traditional and non-traditional techniques to empower their communities.
Maralngurra's artwork draws inspiration from ancient rock paintings in the area and this is how he incorporates painting techniques like x-ray and rarrk. His paintings often include hunting and cooking methods of different animals.[10] By depicting different animals like pythons, spoonbills, echidna, turtles, and knob-tailed geckos. In painting these animals, Maralngurra highlights the cultural nuances of how various groups view these animals, noting that while Dhuwa people refrain from consuming borlokko (python), Yirritja people do not have these same restrictions.[10]
Contact paintings
Between 2004 and 2007 Maralngurra produced a series of "contact paintings" exploring colonial events such as the arrival of anthropologists and missionaries to Gunbalanya. These pieces exhibit the coming together of different cultures and recognise the differences between each other's communities. Although seemingly different, this still follows Maralngurra's tendency to use art as a way of educating others and fill the gap between different communities. Specifically, in this series of paintings, he focuses on depicting Baldwin Spencer, who was the first anthropologist to visit the region of the Western Arnhem Land.[11] In 2003, Maralngurra showcased his first depiction of Baldwin Spencer to the world, depicting him standing face to face with an Aboriginal man, surrounded by objects that correspond to both of the men's cultures.[12] By doing this, art historian Henry Skerritt argues, Maralngurra is drawing attention to "the limits of communication and boundaries of exchange of visitors to his region."[13] Despite the success he had in gaining notoriety for these works, Maralngurra moved on from his "contact paintings" after 2007, which Henry Skerritt assumed to mean that this project was a "diversion from his primary artistic project."[14]
Maralngurra's art pieces are showcased in diverse collections both within the country and abroad, such as those at the Australian Museum, Museums Victoria, South Australian Museum, and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection in the United States.[2] Some of his most notable contact paintings include Meeting of Bininj Elders and Balanda Visitors in 1948 (1948), Baldwin Spencer and Paddy Cahill (2003), and Bininj at the rock Art Shelter (2006). Many of these paintings were displayed at his solo exhibition Contact at the Mossenson Galleries in Melbourne in 2006.[citation needed]
Charlottesville exhibition
In January of 2020, Gabriel Manalngurra undertook residency at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.[15] During this time, Maralngurra and Joe Guymala visited Charlottesville to talk about and display their works in various locations across the city. This citywide exhibition consisted of more than 50 artists, five different locations, and about 200 pieces. One of the main centres for Aboriginal art in the world lies in the centre of Charlottesville: the Kluge-Rhue Aboriginal Art Collection.[16] It includes more than 2000 pieces of Indigenous art, and each year invites Aboriginal artists from various regions to visit, lead workshops, and provide classes to locals and UVA students. This was just one of the many locations the citywide exhibition took place.
Gabriel Maralngurra being interviewed by Sandy Hausman for WVTF Radio IQ for the exhibition "The Inside World: Contemporary Aboriginal Australian Memorial Poles" at The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia.
Maralngurra played a large role in the exhibition located in the Fralin Museum located on the Grounds of the University of Virginia. Specifically, the exhibition located in the Fralin Museum, The Inside World: Contemporary Aboriginal Australian Memorial Poles consisted of 112 memorial poles by 55 different artists from various regions of Arnhem Land, curated by Henry Skerritt.[16] Maralngurra collaborated with Skerritt, contributing to the exhibit by painting one of the displayed poles and creating a painting showcased in Jefferson's Rotunda.[16] The Aboriginal Memorial comprised hollow coffins decorated with clan designs, and signified the moment when the spirit of the deceased had finally returned home.[17] Maralngurra participated in a group of six memorial poles from his region that were done using Earth pigments on wood and included images such as the mimih spirit. The art is not only in the painting on the wooden logs, but also the difficult process of harvesting the logs. According to Maralngurra, the purpose of bringing this work to Charlottesville is to share and promote their strong culture from the other side of the world.[18]
Maralngurra displayed another piece of rock art style called "Kunwardde Bim Kakukyime" that hung on the walls of the Rotunda on the university grounds . This piece is the perfect example of how Maralngurra incorporates local figures such as the brolga bird and the mimih spirit to further connect his artwork to his country and its inhabitants. Kunwardde Bim Kakukyime (Rock Art Style) illustrates a wide range of overlapping animals specific to his region in various shades of red, white, yellow, and even some blue. The brolga positioned slightly left of the centre of the image is known to be a hunting prize for the people in his community. He executes this depiction of the bird in x-ray style, meaning he includes the imagery of the internal organs and bone structure of the animal. The incorporation of the anatomical features of the bird proves how well connected he is with the inhabitants of his land. in the bottom left corner, he includes a Mimih Spirit which is said to have taught his people many of the skills they would have needed to survive such as hunting. This organised chaos shows how he uses a variety of figures and colours to represent the identity of his community in a unique way.
Other roles
Maralngurra is also a tour guide, translator, Injalak Hill Board member and president. His strong presence in Australia has led him to travel often throughout the region and abroad for the past twenty-five years.
Awards
2006: Best Indigenous Artist during the 2006 Melbourne Fringe Festival[19]
2020 Munguyhmunguyh (Forever): Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the John W. Kluge Injalak Commission, The Upper West Oval Room of The Rotunda at the University of Virginia[23]
2006: Making Contact. Solo Exhibition. Mossenson Galleries, Melbourne, September 26–October 22, 2006.
2006 Wet and Dry, Indigenart Gallery, Perth WA
2006 24th National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, MAGNT, Darwin NT
2006 The Second Peter Baillie Acquisitive Award, Flinders University, Adelaide SA
2005 Concord, Framed Gallery, Darwin
2004 21st Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award
2003 Art Mob Exhibition Tasmania
2003 20th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award
2001 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award
1998 Desert Designs Japingka Gallery, Perth WA
1996 Framed Gallery, Darwin NT
1995 21st Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award
1995 The Twelfth National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition,, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory Darwin
1994 Aboriginal & Tribal Art Gallery The Rocks Sydney NSW
1993 Editions, Southbank, Melbourne Vic
1993 Hogarth Aboriginal and Tribal Art Gallery
1993 Stories, Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art Kerava Art
1993 Helsinki and Rovaniemi Art Museum Lappland, Finland
1993 Burukmarri Gallery, Fremantle WA
Related Research Articles
Gunbalanya is an Aboriginal Australian town in west Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia, about 300 kilometres (190 mi) east of Darwin. The main language spoken in the community is Kunwinjku. At the 2021 Australian census, Gunbalanya had a population of 1,177.
Daisy Loongkoonan was an Australian Aboriginal artist and elder from the Nyikina people of the central western Kimberley region in Western Australia. Loongkoonan was born at Mount Anderson near the Fitzroy River. Her parents worked on cattle stations, and as she grew up, Loongkoonan followed them, mustering sheep and cooking in stock camps. Later she rode horses and mustered cattle.
Injalak Arts, formerly known as Injalak Arts and Crafts, is a non-profit, community-owned Aboriginal art centre located in Gunbalanya, around 300 km (190 mi) east of Darwin in West Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. It was incorporated in 1989. It is known for artists working in a primarily figurative style, and continuing and developing the West Arnhem rock art tradition. It is also known for pandanus weavings. Artists are mostly Kunwinjku people; however, artists from many language groups across Arnhem Land are represented.
Bardayal "Lofty" Nadjamerrek was a Kunwinjku Aboriginal artist of the Mok clan. He belonged to the Duwa moiety and spoke the Kundedjnjenghmi language. He is currently referred to by his skin and clan as "Wamud Namok", following the Kunwinjku custom of avoiding use of the name of deceased persons.
Marrnyula Mununggurr (1964) is an Aboriginal Australian painter of the Djapu clan of the Yolngu people, known for her use of natural ochres on bark and hollow logs, wood carvings, linoleum and screen print productions.
Ngarra (c.1920–2008) was an Aboriginal Australian artist of the Andinyin and Gija peoples, known for his paintings on canvas and paper which depicted his homelands in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, along with events from the ancestral and colonial past. Among Aboriginal people in the central and east Kimberley he was revered for his deep knowledge of Aboriginal ceremonial practices which he learned from his grandparents Muelbyne and Larlgarlbyne while living nomadically in the remote Mornington Range.
Nyapanyapa Yunupingu was an Australian Yolngu painter and printmaker who lived and worked in the community at Yirrkala, Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory. Yunupingu created works of art that drastically diverge from the customs of the Yolngu people and made waves within the art world as a result. Due to this departure from tradition within her oeuvre, Yunupingu's work had varying receptions from within her community and the broader art world.
Nonggirrnga Marawili was an Australian Yolngu painter and printmaker. She was the daughter of the acclaimed artist and pre-contact warrior Mundukul. Marawili was born on the beach at Darrpirra, near Djarrakpi, as a member of the Madarrpa clan of the Yirritja moiety. She grew up in both Yilpara and Yirrkala in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, but lived wakir', meaning her family would move frequently, camping at Madarrpa clan-related sites between Blue Mud Bay and Groote Eylandt. Marawili died at Yirrkala in October 2023.
Joe Guymala is an Aboriginal Australian artist and musician of the Burdoh clan of the Kunwinjku people, known for his paintings on bark, paper and memorial poles known as lorrkkon.
Dorothy Djukulul is a traditional Australian Aboriginal artist who lives in Ramingining in Central Arnhem Land. She speaks Ganalbingu and is a part of the Gurrumba Gurrumba clan, who identify as being a part of the Yirrija moiety.
Thompson Yulidjirri (1930-2009) was an Aboriginal Australian artist of the Kunwinjku people of western Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Yulidjirri was renowned for his wide knowledge of ancestral creation narratives and ceremony, his painting skills and mentorship of young artists at the Injalak Arts and Crafts centre.
Mungurrawuy Yunupingu (c.1905–1979) was a prominent Aboriginal Australian artist and leader of the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu people of northeastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. He was known for his bark paintings.
Mawalan Marika (c.1908–1967), often referred to as Mawalan 1 Marika to distinguish from Mawalan 2 Marika, was an Aboriginal Australian artist and the leader of the Rirratjingu clan of the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. He is known for his bark paintings, carvings and political activism.
Lucy Malirrimurruwuy Armstrong Wanapuyngu is an Aboriginal Australian master fibre artist. She is an elder of the Gapuwiyak community, and is heavily involved in the transmission of knowledge dealing with fibre works. She has worked with anthropologist Louise Hamby, since 1995, and many of her works have been spotlighted at different art festivals, collections, galleries, and museums.
Rerrkirrwanga Mununggurr is an Australian artist renowned for her finely detailed paintings on bark. In some publications Rerrkirrwanga is referred to as Rerrki, which appears to be a nickname from her older sister Marrnyula Mununggurr. She is the youngest daughter of the artist Djutjadjutja Munungurr. Her husband, Yalpi Yunupinu, helped train Rerrkirrwanga in the traditions that he painted in addition to what she learned from her father. In the 1990s, Rerrkirrwanga finished many of his works even though they are attributed to her father. She now has authority to paint her own stories and her large-scale works on bark are in Australian and international collections.
Wukun Wanambi was an Australian Yolngu painter, filmmaker and curator of the Marrakulu clan of northeastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.
A memorial pole, also known as hollow log coffin, burial pole, lorrkkon, ḻarrakitj, or ḏupun, is a hollow tree trunk decorated with elaborate designs, made by the Yolngu and Bininj peoples of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Originally used to hold the bones of deceased people or for burial ceremonies, they are now made as works of art. The permanent exhibit at the National Gallery of Australia, Aboriginal Memorial, consists of 200 hollow log coffins, created by 43 artists.
Graham Badari is an Aboriginal Australian artist from the Wardjak clan in West Arnhem Land. Graham Badari belongs to the Duwa moeity and speaks the Kunwinjku dialect. At Injalak Arts, Badari is a popular figure, a tour guide, and a font of community news. Art historian Henry Skerritt describes him as possessing a "impish smile and cheeky sense of humour" and a "unique and eccentric personality"
Paddy Compass Namadbara, skin name Na-Bulanj, was an Aboriginal Australian artist and traditional healer, or marrkidjbu, from western Arnhem land. He was a member of the Alarrdju clan. Namadbara was renowned for his abilities as a healer, his bark paintings, and his skills as a mentor for younger generations.
Philip Gudthaykudthay, also known as Pussycat, was an Aboriginal Australian artist. His work is held in many public galleries in Australia and internationally, including the British Museum.
↑ Skerritt, Henry F.; Nevada Museum of Art; Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; Fralin Museum of Art; Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, eds. (2019). The inside world: contemporary Aboriginal Australian memorial poles from the Debra and Dennis Scholl collection. [Reno]: Munich; New York: Nevada Museum of Art; DelMonico Books·Prestel. ISBN978-3-7913-5816-1.
"Down under, up above: A wealth of Indigenous Australian art comes to Charlottesville this winter". C-VILLE Weekly. 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
Hausman, Sandy. "Aboriginal Art Is Center Stage in Charlotteville". www.wvtf.org. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
Skerritt, Henry. ""Is Art History Any Use to Aboriginal Artists? Gabriel Maralngurra's Contact Paintings."". Double Desire: Transculturation and Indigenous Contemporary Art, edited by Ian McLean, 223-241. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014.
Loos, Ted (2020-03-10). "Richly Decorated Memorials Emerge From Ancient Traditions". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
Sanz, Inés Domingo; Fiore, Dánae; May, Sally K. (2016-07). Archaeologies of Art: Time, Place, and Identity. Routledge. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
“Seeing Through Spencer: Gabriel Maralngurra's Paintings of Baldwin Spencer.” Pacific Arts: The Journal of the Pacific Arts Association, 14, no.1-2 (2015): 106–119.
"Stay Local, Play Local: Aboriginal Art on Display". www.cbs19news.com. Retrieved 2020-03-30
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
