Details of Djambawa Marawili
About
Djambawa Marawili (born 1953) is an artist who has experienced mainstream success (as the winner of the 1996 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award - Best Bark Painting Prize) and as an artist represented in most major Australian institutional collections and several important overseas public and private collections, but for whom the production of art is a small part of a much bigger picture.
Djambawa as a senior artist, as well as sculpture and bark painting, has produced linocut images and produced the first screeprint image for the Buku-Larrngay Mulka Printspace.
His principal roles are as a leader of the Madarrpa clan, a caretaker for the spiritual well-being of his own and other related clan's and an activist and administrator in the interface between non-Aboriginal people and the Yolnu (Aboriginal) people of North East Arnhem Land.
He is first and foremost a leader, and his art is one of the tools he uses to lead. As a participant in the production of the Barunga Statement (1988), which led to Bob Hawke's promise of a treaty, the Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody and the formation of ATSIC, Djambawa drew on the sacred foundation of his people to represent the power of Yolngu and educate 'outsiders' in the justice of his people's struggle for recognition.
Again in 1997 Djambawa, was one of the elders at Timber Creek who burned the Prime Minister's "10 point plan". In the push for Sea Rights he is the focus of a Northern Land Council video made to explain the concepts of Yolngu ownership of the undersea lands called "Terry Djambawa Marawili-My Native Title". As before he uses his painting to show the sacred designs that embody his right to speak as a part of the land (although this time the land is under sea). He was instrumental in the initiation of the Saltwater exhibition. He co-ordinated the eventual Federal Court Sea Claim in 2004 which eventuated in the High Court's determination in the 2008 Blue Mud BAy case that Yolngu did indeed own the land between high and low water mark.
Away from the spotlight of activism, Djambawa must fulfil several other onerous leadership roles. The principal ones are as a ceremonial leader, as an administrator of several mainstream Yolngu organisations, as leader of a 200-strong remote homeland community and as a family man with three wives, an aged father and many children and grand children.
Somehow art is integral to each of these roles as well. Obviously the sacred designs figure to some (secret) extent in the countless circumcision, burial, memorial and other ceremony that he is required to assist or lead. As a Director and later Chairperson of the Association of Northern and Kimberley Artists Association (1997-2009) and Chairperson of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre 1994-2000 (the art centre servicing north-east Arnhem Land) art is never far away from consideration. In 2004 he was appointed to the Australia Council ATSIA Board. He was granted a two year Fellowship from the Australia Council in 2003. In 2009 he continues to work on the ATSIA Board, to chair ANKAAA and be executive of the Northern Land Council.
As a man living at Baniyala, some three hours from Yirrkala (the nearest shop/mains power/fuel etc) he is immersed in the country that he paints and carves. Everywhere he looks the landscape reveals to his educated eyes the designs within. His role as the voice of Wakuthi, his ancient, blind father, is to protect these knowledges with the tools his father gave him. The art is one of these.
EXHIBITIONS
2008 Berndt Etching Exhibition, Galuku Gallery, Darwin, NT
2008 Berndt Etching Exhibition, Gapan Gallery, Garma Festival, Darwin, NT
2008 'Some Men I Have Met', Steve Fox of Mogo Raw Art, Mogo, NSW
2007 Bukulunthunmi - Coming Together, One Place, Raft Artspace, Darwin, NT
2006 'Bulayi Small Gems', Suzanne O'Connell Indigenous Art, Brisbane, Qld
2006 Asia Pacific Triennale, Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Qld
2006 Print Exhibition, Galuku Gallery, Darwin, NT
2006 Print Exhibition, Gapan Gallery, Garma Festival, Darwin, NT
2006 Solo Exhibition, Sydney Bienalle, NSW
2006 'Walking Together to Aid Aboriginal Health', Shalom College, NSW
2005 'Y kumirri', Holmes a Court Gallery, Perth, WA
2005 'Y kumirri', Raft Artspace, Darwin, NT (purchased by Holmes a Court Collection)
2005 Print Exhibition, Gapan Gallery, Garma Festival, Darwin, NT
2004 Binocular: Looking Closely at Country, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, UNSW COFA
2004 21st National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museum and Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin, NT
2003 Abstractions, Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra, ACT
2003 Buwayak, Annadale Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2003 Wukidi Installation, Supreme Court, Darwin, NT
2002 Larrakitj Installation, Sydney Opera House, NSW
2002 Garma Larrakitj Installation, NT
2001 18th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museum and Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin, NT
2001 Yolnu Bark, Ben Grady Gallery
2000 Group Show with Galuma and Dhukal Wirrpanda, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2000 Art Fair, with Alcaston House Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2000 5th National Cultural Heritage Art Awards, Old Parliament House, Canberra, ACT
1999 Gapu Minytji, Crafts Museum, New Delhi, India
1999 16th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museum and Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin, NT
1999-01 Saltwater Country - Bark Paintings from Yirrkala, A National Tour, Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra, ACT John Curtin Gallery, Curtin University, Perth,WA National Australian Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW Museum of Modern Art at Heide, Melbourne, VIC Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, NT Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD
1999 Carvings by Djambawa Marawili, Alcaston House Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
1998 Hollow Logs from Yirrkala, Annandale Gallery, Sydney.
1998 15th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin.
1997 Djambawa, William Mora Gallery, Melourne Vic.
1997 Native Title, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney NSW
1997 14th NATSIAA , Museum and Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin.
1996 13th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin.
1996 Big Bark, Annandale Gallery, Sydney, NSW
1996 Miny'tji Dhawu, Savode Gallery Brisbane
1995 12th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin.
1995 Miny'tji Buku-Larrngay, Paintings from the east, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
1994 11th NATSIA, Museum and Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin.
1990 Keepersof the Secrets, Aboriginal Art From Arnhem Land, Art Gallery of WA, Perth.
1989 Aboriginal Art, The Continuing Tradition, NGA
1986, Painted objects from Arnhem Land, University Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra ACT.
1984, Baniyala, Artworks, Crafts Council Gallery, Sydney.
1984 Aboriginal Art an Exhibtion presented by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra.
COLLECTIONS
Artbank Sydney
Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvingrove, Glasgow Scotland
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Australian Capital Equity Art Collection , Perth
Kerry Stokes Collection
JW Kluge Virginia USA
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Queensland University of Technology Art Collection
Crafts Museum, New Delhi India (collaborative with artist LIawaday Marawili, wife And Indian 'tribal' artist Jangarh Singh Shyam and Bhuri Bai.)
Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW
Bibliography
Aboriginal Arts Management Association, 1990, Contemporary Aboriginal Art from Australia (presented by the Aboriginal Arts Committee, Australia Council and Third Eye Centre, Glasgow) exhibition catalogue, REdfern NSW
Caruana W. , 1987. Australian Aboriginal Art, a souvenir Book of Aboriginal art at the Australian National Gallery, The Australian National Gallery, Parkes. ACT
Fox S. , Baniyala Artworks, exhibition catalogue, Yirrkala Literature Production Centre, Yirrkala NT.
O'Ferrall M. , Keepers of the Secrets, Art from Arnhem Land in the Collection of the Art Gallery of WA, Perth.
13th NATSIAA 1996- touring Catalogue, Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin NT.
1984, Baniyala ARtworks, Exhibition CAtalogue., Yirrkala Literature Production Centre.
Fox S., Baniyala Artworks, ex.cat. 1984, Yirrkala Literature Production Centre.
Saltwater - Yirrkala Bark Paintings of Sea Country. ISBN 0 646 37702 7 pp 14,15,34,35,50,51,54,55,93,99,100, back flap, back cover.
2008 Ochre, Menzies Auction, Melbourne
2008 Etched in the Sun Prints made by Indigenous artists in collaboration with Basil Hall &Printers 1997-2007, Canberra.
AWARDS
Best Bark Painting - 13th NATSIAA awards 1996.
Australia Council Felloship 2004-5
Major protagonist of the successful Blue Mud Bay case in the high court.
