Details of Linus Warlapinni
About
BORN: 1951
REGION: MELVILLE ISLAND, NORTHERN TERRITORY
DOMICILE: MILIKAPITI
AGENCY: JILAMARA ARTS & CRAFTS
COUNTRY: PULARUMPI (GARDEN POINT)
LANGUAGE: TIWI
SKIN GROUP: KINIKINI (MOSQUITO)
DANCE: YIRRI KIPAYI (TURTLE)
Born in 1951 at Nguiu on Bathurst Island, his skin group is Kinikini mosquito and his dreaming dance Jarrikarlani turtle.
Linus Warlapinni worked with the Conservation Commission for many years in parks and wildlife. On his retirement from the Commission he became a plant operator with the Council building roads and airstrips on Melville Island. When he needed to spend more time caring for his family he decided to draw on his family ties and so began painting for Jilamara Arts and Craft Association in 2002.
Linus is the son of the late leading Jilamara artist Freda Warlapinni (c 1928-2003). Like his mother's painting Linus' designs are directly related to ceremonial body painting and when asked if his work is influenced by his mother he says, "I do the same", meaning they are part of the same family, the same ceremony, for the same purpose. "My painting like kulama and pukumani (ceremony), when we go for dance I paint lines on my face." The 'old people' taught him design at Milikapiti through ceremonial body painting. Linus' totem or dreaming is the Turtle Dance, and Linus believes people can recognise from his design that his dance is the Turtle Dance.
Linus has become one of the art centre most consistent and exciting emerging artists, attracting attention from collectors and gallerists. His work has been selected for various forthcoming group exhibitions in 2004.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2003 Kuturkuni Amintiya Tapulinni, RAFT Artspace, Darwin (April)
2003 Exhibition aboard the luxury liner The World, Melbourne to Tokyo
2003 Chapman Gallery, Canberra
2003 Alliance Francaise Gallery, Canberra 24 - 29 October in association with Chapman Gallery
2003 Let Keep Our Art Strong: Recent works from the Jilamara Artists, Raft Artspace, Darwin
2003 Tiwi, Linus Warlapinni, Dymphna Kerinauia and Ian Cook, Indigenart, Perth
2004 Tiwi Ochre 2, Indigneart, Perth
2004 Living Tiwi: Tiwi Awuta Yimpanguwi, Museum fur Volkerkunde, Hamburg, Germany in association with Jilamara Arts and Crafts
2004 Milikapiti Turtiyanginari: Milikapiti Ochre, RAFT Artspace, Darwin
2005 Living Tiwi: Tiwi Awuta Yimpanguwi, Galerie Dad, Montes-La-Jolie, France
2005 Decouvrir, rever, investor l'Art aborigine d'Australie, Australian Embassy, Paris.
2006 Peter Bailie Art Award, Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide.
2006 Awirankini Jilamara, Suzanne O'Connell Gallery, Brisbane
2006 Nginingaji ngawula kurrupuranji Jilamara, RAFT Artspace, Darwin
2006 Yirrajirrima murrakupuni ngawurraningimarri, Tiwi Art Network, Darwin
2006 All the Tiwi Mob, Short St Gallery, Broome
2006 Jilamara Tiwi, Soma Galleries, Adelaide
2006 Jilamara Works on Paper, Sofitel Melbourne
2006 Ngawila Jilamara: Our design, Aboriginal and Pacific Art Gallery, Sydney
2006 Ratuwati amintiya ratuwati: Island to Island, Art Mob, Hobart
2007 Mary Magdelene Tipungwati and Linus Warlapinni, Seva Frangos Gallery, Perth
2008 Jilamara - New Paintings and Carvings, Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
2008 30 x 80, Seva Frangos Gallery, Perth
2008 ABN Amro Emerging Artists Award, Finalist Exhibition, Sydney
2008 Yimwarlini, Raft Artspace, Darwin
2009 Parruwarti Angawilla Jilamara - Earth Our COlour, Chapman Gallery, Canberra
2009 Mukumuwu, To Be Together, Tiwi Art Network, Darwin
2009 Wulikija Jilamara, Northern Editions, Charles Darwin University, Darwin
2009 Jilamara Kangi, Colour on Paper, Tunbridge Gallery, Margaret River
2010 Kumunupunari - Season of the Smoke, Tiwi Art Network, Darwin
2010 Tiwi Shima, Northern Editions, Charles Darwin University, Darwin
2010 Nginimuwila Jilamara, Our Design, Grafton Regional Gallery
2011 Yingarti Jilamara - Marianne Newman Gallery, Sydney
2011 Nginimuwila kurrujipini - Our Colour, Tiwi Art Network, Darwin
2011 Awirankini Jilamara - New Paintings, Short St Gallery, Broome
COLLECTIONS HELD
Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide
Charles Darwin University, Darwin
Artbank, Perth
Wesfarmers Collection, Perth
Edith Cowan University, Perth
Murdoch University Collection, Perth
King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth
Bibliography
Jilamara Art and Craft Association, 'Living Tiwi: Tiwi Awuta Yimpanguwi', exhibition catalogue, 2004
Jilamara Art and Craft Association, 'Nginimuwila Jilamara - Our Design', exhibition catalogue, 2010
