House of Ngukurr

In the interests of extending our understanding of the range and diversity of the Ngukurr phenomenon, here’s three more images from Ngukurr that missed the cut for Cath Bowdler’s show. The image above is an acrylic on bark, (640 x 340) attributed by Cath as an early Djambu Barra Barra, perhaps painted together with Amy Jirwulurr Johnson, probably around 1987-9. (When you get your catalogue, compare some of the figures with those in Hollow Log 1993 on page 62).

The image below is acrylic and ochres on canvas (100 x 115) by the great Wagilag ceremonial leader Roy Ashley, painted in 2004. Roy is always said to be “too busy to paint”. Which is a great pity. Look closely and you’ll see it appears to be an image looking down into a waterhole, with the “Quiet Snake” and a multitude of fish and tortoises somewhere beneath the surface. I only know of one other painting like this, a strangely  hybridised Mimih figure, but equally scintillating in the detail of its rarrk. The “stone country” Wagilag people occupy a great swathe of southern Arnhem Land, from Ngilipidgi to Ngukurr to Ramingining, so it’s not so surprising that Roy’s hybrid “style” bridges many regional characteristics.

And to add to the phenomenon of the diversity of Ngukurr art, here’s an artist who paints in several quite different styles! This is Faith Thompson Nelson’s “Snake Tracks”, 2003, (108 x 85), but see also her grand aerial perspective of the Limmin Bight landscape illustrated on p.84 of the catalogue. When you get your own copy.