Art Ew - National Gallery of Australia

Lofty Bardayal Nadjamerrek is rightly acknowledged
as one of the most learned elders of the Arnhem Land
escarpment known as ‘Stone Country’, and is the last of
the painters of the magnificent rock art galleries of the
region; his final work, a simple, dynamic kangaroo and
hunter in white ochre, was created in 2005. From the
Kundedjnjenghm people, Mok clan, Nadjamerrek was born
c. 1926 at Kukkulumurr, Western Arnhem Land, and, as his
name suggests, his elevated, graceful physique was often
seen traversing the length and breadth of Arnhem Land in
his early adult years.
Now residing at his outstation at Kabulwarnamyo,
Bardayal paints sparingly, passing on his traditions to his
grandsons, who sit quietly watching him as he paints.
Although his hand is now somewhat unsteady, his great
skill as an ‘old-style’ rock art painter is evident in the
stunning barks and works on paper which have been
secured for Culture Warriors. Bardayal may scrape back
some of the ochre pigments on the bark canvases or
paper sheets when dissatisfied with a particular line, but
the stature of his figures – creation beings and totemic
animals – remains unchallenged. Whereas Mawurndjul
continually works on refining his sublime rarrk, filling the
entire surface of his canvas, Bardayal’s painting reflects
a fidelity to his cultural traditions, with the figurative
elements reigning supreme.
Arthur Koo’ekka Pambegan Jnr is one of the most
respected Winchanam ceremonial elders in Aurukun,
a community based on the western side of Cape York
Peninsula in far north Queensland. Pambegan Jnr comes
from a family of great standing in the community, learning
his cultural traditions through his father, Arthur Koo’ekka
Pambegan Snr (also an artist and cultural activist of great
renown) who was among the first of the Wik-speaking
people to live at Aurukun, a mission established by the
Moravians at Archer River in 1904.
I’d just say … I WON’T STOP DOING IT. This belong
to all of us. We share it together … we share our
culture and you sharing your culture. The culture,
what you see in the carvings, in the body painting,
what you see in the canvas, they more important,
because this is the way we are, not going to lose it.
Pambegan Jnr is known for his wonderful sculptural
installations of ancestral stories, Bonefish Story Place and
Flying Fox Story Place. The distinctive art of Aurukun –
trademark body-paint design worn by performers in a set
of horizontal stripes, alternating red, white and black2 –
has also enjoyed a gradual move into the art market in the
past twenty-five years, with younger artists encouraged
by elders such as Pambegan Jnr. He is equally renowned
for his skill and acumen as a ceremonial dancer and leader.
Culture Warriors presents the first works on canvas by
Pambegan Jnr alongside his installations.
It has been a great honour to work with such
inspirational artists and cultural activists, whose work and
lives inspired the title of the inaugural National Indigenous
Art Triennial. a
Brenda L Croft
Senior Curator, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art
Curator, Culture Warriors: National Indigenous Art Triennial
notes
1 From an essay with Angela Hill, ‘Jean Baptiste recorded this
introduction in Tiwi at Nguiu, Bathurst Island, on 3 February 2007
which was transcribed and translated by Margaret Renee Kerinauia’.
2 Peter Sutton, essay for the exhibition catalogue accompanying
Culture Warriors.
Lofty Bardayal
Nadjamerrek
Kundedjnjenghm people
Ngalyod I 2005 natural
earth pigments on bark
45.0 x 134.0 cm on loan
from Joseph Fekete and
Annie Bartlett
artonview spring 2007 25