Your guide to some of the standout works presented at Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair 2023.
Words by Camilla Wagstaff
Cover image by Elizabeth Ngwarraye Bonney, Flowers and Fairies, Acrylic on cotton 76 x 61cm. Courtesy of the Artist and Artist of Ampilatwatja
Elizabeth Ngwarraye Bonney
Showing with Artists of Ampilatwatja
Art has always been there for Elizabeth Ngwarraye Bonney. Her Mother Eileen is one of the original artists who painted with Artists of Ampilatwatja, a community established in 1999 near Mparntwe (Alice Springs). For many years, the mother and daughter would sit and paint together. “I paint to keep my Country alive, so we can know and teach our young ones, our grandchildren,” says the artist. “When I paint, I think of my mother and her mother and the knowledge they passed on to me. I paint to pass on the knowledge that they gave to me. I think of my Country. It’s green with lots of water.” When she’s not painting,
“I like to go visiting family or hunting for echidna, sugar bag and bush potato,” she says.
Elizabeth Ngwarraye Bonney, Flowers and Fairies. Acrylic on linen, 76 x 61cm. Courtesy of the Artist and Artist of Ampilatwatja
Nunay Selma Coulthard
Showing with Iltja Ntjarra (Many Hands)
Nunay Selma Coulthard’s paintings are reflections of her childhood memories. “I see how the landscape looked like in my travelling days with my family,” she says. “We used to visit sacred sites and with my father and his uncle.” Coulthard notes that her paintings are in part about preserving and passing on culture. “At the Art Centre, watercolour painting is the main thing that we share. This helps us hold onto our culture and feel strong to tell the stories to the young ones. They see the connection we have with the land and with our people.” Her works are also very much about connection, following in the traditions of the artists who came before and guiding those to come. “They show other families where we grew up and where we come from. [Renowned Arrernte painter Albert] Namatjira’s paintings are always about connecting to Country and the stories, to different tribes.”
Nunay Selma Coulthard, Areyonga, NT. Watercolour on paper, 28 X 46CM. Courtesy of the Artist and Iltja Ntjarra (Many Hands) Art Centre.
Nunay Selma Coulthard, Tjoritja (West MacDonnell Ranges), NT. Watercolour on paper, 45 x 60cm. Courtesy of the Artist and Iltja Ntjarra (Many Hands) Art Centre.
Graham Badari
Showing with Injalak Arts
Graham Badari’s energetic, figurative painting style follows in the footsteps of great senior men before him, at the same time forging a distinct, innovative path of its own. Badari was raised by the renowned artist Djawida Nadjongorle, and credits the late Thompson Yulidjirri as a key artistic influence. Badari reflects on his early experiences of Kunwinjku art, which draws upon figurative rock painting traditions:
“In the wet season I would camp with my father and brother in a small shelter near the waterfall painted with rock art. My father would hunt black wallaroos. When he came back to the shelter, he would bring me the Mandjurrukkumarlba (berries) and we would sit and eat them looking up at the rock art.”
Graham Badari, Wakih (Freshwater Shrimp). Ochre on Arches paper, 41 x 61cm. Image courtesy of the Artist and Injalak Arts.
Graham Badari, Kinga (Saltwater Crocodile). Acrylic on Arches paper, 51 x 76cm. Image courtesy of the Artist and Injalak Arts.
Milminyina Dhamarrandji
Showing with Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka
“Art means a lot from a Yolŋu perspective,” says artist Milminyina Dhamarrandji.
“When you look at art, every line and the design on it means something to you. It’s from your heritage, your Yolŋu backbone, and it’s your identity as well. It is also connected to the songline and the land.”
Taught to paint and weave by her mother, Dhamarrandji’s märi, or mother’s mother’s clan, are the Rirratjiŋu. The Rirratjiŋu and Djambarrpuyŋu share sacred designs connected to the areas around Yirrkala. The primary theme that runs through Dhamarrandji’s work are the sharp geometric shapes related to her island estate Dhambaliya (Bremer Island), which sits on the horizon. Recently, Dhamarrandji has focussed on her painting practice and produced a sophisticated style of work both on stringybark and Larrakitj (memorial poles). A solo exhibition at Sydney gallery .M Contempoary in December this year will further showcase her talents.
Milminyina Dhamarrandji, Dhambadiny. Bark painting, 87 x 62cm. Image courtesy of the Artist and Buku Larrŋgay Mulka Centre.
Milminyina Dhamarrandji, Dhambadiny Larrakitj, 210 x 19cm. Image courtesy of the Artist and Buku Larrŋgay Mulka Centre.
This article originally appeared in the Art Collector 2023 Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Special Edition, head here to read more.
Cover Art by Marlene Harold, Mulla Mulla, Acrylic on Canvas, 45.5 x 61cm . Courtesy of the Artist and Yinjaa-Barni Art.
