Details of Eubena Nampitjin
About
THEMES
Kinyu Spirit dogs
Tjukarra (rock holes) and Tjumu (soaks) along the Canning Stock Route
Watikutjarra (two men dreaming)
Malu (kangaroo dreaming)
Kantilli (bush raisins) and Purra (bush tomato)
Tingari Tjukurrpa (Dreamtime Ancestral journeys)
Women's Law ceremonies
Goanna, mouse, moon and dingo dreaming
Karnaputta and Kunarwaritji
BIOGRAPHY
Eubena (Yupinya) is the best known of Warlayirti Artists' many artists. She is one of the most esteemed Law women in the community, being consulted and deferred to on all questions of Law. Mukaka, Eubena's mother, together with her uncle, gave her Maparn (traditional healer) skills when Eubena was just a young girl. In her formative years, Eubena and her family travelled and hunted, performing ceremonies and Law to look after their country in the Great Sandy Desert, as well as for their own spiritual preservation. Nomadic life was harsh and most of her extended family had passed away or moved to other parts of the country by the time Eubena had her first contact with non-Aboriginal people.
Eubena with her first husband, the late Gimme, and family travelled up the Canning Stock Route to Billiluna Station before following the mission as it moved around until the mission was established at its present site at Balgo. At the mission, Eubena and Gimme helped Father Piele with a Kukatja dictionary. Today Eubena is one of the few people who maintains a full vocabulary of the Kukatja language. Despite living at the mission and tending herds of goats, Eubena continually travelled back to her country, living in and from the land for extended periods. Her extraordinary hunting instinct, which remains today, combines with an effortless energy when she is out in the country.
Eubena started painting with her second husband Wimmitji in the mid 1980s. Their work shared a luminous and intricate complexity along with a love of the warm reds, oranges and yellows that continue to be Eubena's signature today. Eubena's reputation as one half of the famous Balgo painting duo grew, but also as a solo artist in her own right. Eubena has a spontaneity and strength of brush mark that carves the paint, leaving rhythmical tracks across the canvas. Her work resonates with the power of place and intimate knowledge of country that Eubena has been able to maintain throughout her life. Painting is like her second language and she paints persistently with passion and dedication, weaving stories from the Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) as well as her personal history and knowledge.
Eubena has travelled extensively to attend exhibition openings around the country.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2009 Eubena Nampitjin, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2008 Eubena Nampitjin, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2007 Eubena Nampitjin, Queen of the Desert, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2006 Eubena Nampitjin, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2005 Eubena Nampitjin, Alcaston Gallery,Sydney
2004 Eubena Nampitjin, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2002 Eubena Nampitjin, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2000 Eubena Nampitjin and Lena Nyadbi, Tineriba Gallery, Adelaide, SA
1998 Kinyarri: My Country, Alcaston House Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2010 Balgo Survey, Redot Gallery, Singapore
2010 Mixed Exhibition, Palya Art, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth
2010 Ingalimpa Tjuntu - Singing Songs "we sing the country and tha's how we find the way", ReDot Fine Art Galleries, Audi Forum Building, Tokyo
2010 Balgo Prints, Northern Editions, Darwin
2010 Balgo Survey, Redot Gallery, Singapore
2009 Lands of Enchantment Survey, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, USA
2008 Balgo Survey, Redot Gallery, Singapore
2008 Desert Mob, Araluen CEnter, Alice Springs
2008 Nominated Fremantle Print Award, Fremantle
2008 Gifted, Dell Gallery, QLD College of Art, Qld
2007 Best of the best, Framed Gallery, Darwin
2007 New Balgo Prints & Glass, Northern Editions, Darwin
2007 Mixed Show, Palya Art, Melbourne/Sydney/Perth
2007 Balgo Survey Show, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne.
2007 Warlayirti Survey, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs
2007 Dreaming their Way, Australian Aboriginal Women Painters, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC.
2007 Prism:Contemporay Australian Art, Bridgestone Museum, Tokyo.
2007 Tracey Moffat, Portraits of word identities, AGNSW
2007 Nora Ngapa/ Eubena Nampitjin, Short St. Gallery, Broome.
2007 Warlayirti Survey, Aboriginal and Pacific Art, Sydney
2007 Warlayirti Survey, They might be Giants, Alcaston Wooloongabba Gallery, Brisbane
2007 From the Bungalow I: Yulparija Artists, Short St gallery @Johnston Gallery, Perth, WA
2006 Warlayiti Suite Print Exhibition, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne.
2006 Balgo Survey Show, Redot Gallery , Singapore
2006 Singing and Dancing up the Country, Raft Artspace, Darwin
2006 Survey Scott Livesey Art Dealer, Melbourne.
2006 Balgo REcent Works, Short St. Gallery, Broome
2006 Balgo, Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne
2005 Balgo, Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne
2004 Desert Mob, Araluen Centre for Arts, Alice Springs
2004 Recent Works, Short St. Gallery, Broome
2004 Balgo a Go Go, Grantpirrie, Sydney, NSW
2004 Balgo 4-04, Warlayirti Artists, Balgo, WA
2003 Eight by Three, Scott Livesey Art Dealer, Melbourne, VIC
2003 Desert Mob, Araluen Centre for Arts, Alice Springs, NT
2003 20th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of NT, Darwin, NT
2003 Purtatjanirri Kamu Warrmala, Framed Gallery, Darwin, NT
2003 Balgo Brilliance, Art Mob, Hobart, TAS
2003 Palya Minyirri, Thornquest Gallery, Gold Coast, QLD
2002 Balgo Hills, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
2002 Desert Mob, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs, NT
2002 19th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of NT, Darwin, NT
2002 Balgo Hills Artists 2002, Art Mob, Aboriginal Fine Art, Hobart, TAS
2002 Art from Balgo, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT
2002 Balgo Hills: An artist's survey, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2002 Big Colour My Country, Thornquest Gallery, Gold Coast, QLD
2001 Opening Exhibition, Thornquest Gallery, Gold Coast, QLD
2001 Beyond Wings, Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, SA
2001 All About Art, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2001 Desert Mob, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs, NT
2001 18th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of NT, Darwin, NT
2001 Kutjungka, Bett Gallery, Hobart, TAS
2001 Balgo Works, Staedtische Gallery, Wolsfburg, Germany
2001 Recent Works by Artists from Balgo Hills, Ochre Gallery, Collingwood, VIC
2001 Balgo Artists Return to Country, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2001 Spirituality and Australian Aboriginal Art, Alcaston Gallery, Madrid, Spain
2000 The Westside: Images in Ochre and Colour, Coo-ee II Exhibiting Gallery, Yuwayi Art
Precinct, World Square, Sydney, NSW
2000 Olympic Exhibition, Coo-ee Exhibiting Gallery, Yuwayi Art Precinct, World Square, Sydney
2000 Balgo Hills, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
2000 17th NATSIAA, Museum Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
2000 Melbourne Artfair 2000, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, VIC
2000 Waltja - Family, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2000 Accents Australiens, l'Espace Adamski Designs, Paris, France
2000 Balgo Art, Gondwana Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
2000 Balgo Hills Aboriginal Paintings, Bett Gallery, Hobart, TAS
2000 Dreaming in Colour: Australian Aboriginal Art from Balgo, Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art
Collection, Virginia, USA
2000 Aboriginal Art, Galerie Bahr, Speyer, Germany
1999 16th NATSIAA, Museum Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
1999 Aboriginal Art, IHK, Wurzburg, Germany
1999 30th Alice Prize, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs, NT
1999 Mularrpa (True) Balgo, Framed, the Gallery, Darwin, NT
1999 Miliynyin, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney (special feature), NSW
1999 Miliynyin, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA
1998 Ngurrara: My Own Country, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
1998 15th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
1998 The Laverty Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW
1998 A Thousand Journeys, Helen Read Collection, touring exhibition
1998 14th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, touring exhibition
1997 'Yarrtji' Six Women's Stories from the Great Sandy Desert, Gallery Gondwana, Alice
Springs, NT
1997 In Place (Out Of Time): Contemporary Art in Australia, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, UK
1997 14th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
1997 Big Balgos: Recent Paintings by Warlayirti Artists, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
1997 New Paintings by Balgo Women, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
1997 Daughters of the Dreaming: Sisters Together Strong, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
1996 Songlines XV: Balgo Hills, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London, UK
1995 Stories: A Journey Around Big Things, Work by 11 Aboriginal Artists, touring, Sprengel
Museum Hannover, Museum fur Volkerkunde Leipzig, Haus der Kulturen der Welt Berlin,
Ludwig-Forum fur Internationale Kunst Aachen, Germany
1995 Two Men Dreaming: New Art from Balgo Hills, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Paddington
1995 Landscape as Language: Australian Perspectives Fine Art Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
1994 Wirrimanu: Australian Aboriginal Art from Balgo Hills WA, Channing Gallery, Santa Fe,
USA, in association with Adrian Newstead, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Paddington
1994 Power of the Land: Masterpieces of Aboriginal Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
1993 Images of Power: Aboriginal Art of the Kimberley, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
1993 Australian Aboriginal Art, Salon de Sud-Est. City of Lyon, in conjunction with Dettinger
Mayer Gallery; toured Gallerie Nurnaga, Neuchatel, France; Pujol Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
1992 65e Salon du Sud-Est, Palais des Expositions, Lyon, France
1992 Flash Art, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT
1992 Eubena and Wimmitji, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
1991 Paintings by Senior Women from the Western Desert, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne
1991 Aboriginal Women's Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney and travelling
1991 Warlayirti Artists, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
1991 Some Aboriginal Women: a survey of Contemporary Women's Art, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art
Gallery, Paddington, NSW
1991 Mulun: the Art of the Great Sandy Desert, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Paddington, NSW
1990 Contemporary Aboriginal Art 1990: from Australia, touring Glasgow, Swansea and
Manchester, UK
1990 Contemporary Aboriginal Art 1990 from the Robert Holmes a Court Collection, touring USA
1990 The Singing Earth, Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT
1990 Eubena Nampitjin and Wimmitji Tjapanarti, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne. VIC
1990 Contemporary Aboriginal Art 1990 from Australia, Tagari Lia: My Family Festival, Third Eye
Centre, Scotland
1990 Paintings from Balgo WA, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
1989 Mythscapes: Aboriginal Art of the Desert, National Gallery of Victoria, VIC
1989 Warlayirti Artists: Continuing Links with Land, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Paddington
1986 Art from the Great Sandy Desert, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA
COLLECTIONS
Musee du Qai Branly, Paris.
National Gallery of Australia
Art Gallery of New South Wales
National Gallery of Victoria
Queensland Art Gallery
Levi-Kaplan Collection, Seattle, USA
The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA
Gantner Myer Collection
Kaye Archer Collection
The Holmes a Court Collection
Laverty Collection
Kluge Ruhe Collection, USA
Helen Read Collection
ArtBank
Western Mining Corporation Collection
Williams Collection
Thomas Vroom Collection, Amsterdam
Harland Collection
Ken Thompson and Pierre Marecaux Collection
Singapore Art Museum
AWARDS
2008 Nominee for the Wynne Art Prize, National Gallery of NSW
2008 Alice Prize, Honoree Painting Award, Araluen, Alice Springs.
1998 Winner of Telstra Open Painting Award, 15th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Art Awards, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
OTHER
Canning Stock Route Project, Documentary, Exhibition
Bibliography
2007 Art Gallery Guide (ed) nov/Dec 2007, pg 14,15.
2006 Eubena Nampitjin, Art and Life,(ed) 2006, Book. Published by Warlayirti Artists Aboriginal Corporation.
2006 National Museum of Women in the Arts, (ed) 2006, Dreaming their Way, Book, pg 27,84,88-90,140.
2004 Alcaston Gallery, (ed) 2004, Eubena Nampitjin, Exhibition catalogue, Melbourne.
2004 Willsteed, T. "Tradition Today: INdigenous art in Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.
2004 Togni,S. & Williamson,S. (eds)2004. Balgo 4-04: New Paintings from the Kutjungka Region, Warlayirti Artists, Balgo.
2004 Mackenzie,M. (ed) 2004, Telstra NATSIAA:Celebrating 20 years, Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin.
2004 Ryan, J. " Colour Power:Aboriginal Art post 1984", NGV, Melbourne.
2003 Watson, C. "Piercing the Ground, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, Fremantle.
2002 Ryan, J. " Indigenous Australian Art in the National Gallery of Victoria", NGV, Melbourne.
2002 Alcaston Gallery, (ed) 2002, Eubena Nampitjin, Exhibition catalogue, Melbourne.
2002 McCulloch, S. The World from a Feminine Perspective, The Australian, 25 March
2001 Borham, Susan (Editor-in-chief), Australian Art Collector Issue 15, Jan-March 2001, Australia's 50 Most Collectable Artists (p.57); Collector's Dossier:
Yupinya Nampitjin(p.100), Gadfly Media Publications, Sydney
2001 West, M. Telstra 18th NATSIAA, Exhibition catalogue, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin.
2000 Kleinert,S & Neale, M. (eds)2000, The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art & Culture, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.
2000 Bahr, E. (ed) 2000, The Unseen in Seen, exhibition catalogue, Aboriginal Art Gallery Bahr, Speyer, Germany.
1999 Cowan, J. Balgo- New Directions, Gordon & BReach Arts International Limited (craftsman House, Sydney)
1999 Isaacs, J. Spirit Country: COntemporary Australian Aboriginal Art, Hardie GRant Books, South Yarra
1999 Watson, C. "Touching the LAnd", Art from the Land, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
1995 Brody, A., Krempel, U., Bahr, E., (eds), Stories, Eine Reise zu den grossen Dingen,
exhibition catalogue, Sprengel Museum Hannover, Germany
1994 Cowan, J. Wirrimanu - Aboriginal Art from Balgo Hills, Gordon & BReach Arts International Limited (Craftsma House, Sydney)
1994 Dream Journeys Calendar, image reproduction
1994 Johnson, V., The Dictionary of Western Desert Artists, Craftsman House, Roseville, NSW
1993 Ryan, J. "Images of Power: Aboriginal art of the Kimberley" NGV,Melbourne.
1991 Glowczewski, B., Yapa Peintres Aborigenes de Balgo et Lajamanu, Lebon Gallery, Paris
1989 Ryan, J., Mythscapes: Aboriginal Art of the Desert from the National Gallery of Victoria,
exhibition catalogue, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
