Alan Munkara Tiwi, Australian, b. 1981

Alan has a Certificate 1 in Visual Arts from Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education where he learnt about painting, drawing, screen-printing and portraiture. 

Alan started learning to carve at Ngaruwanajirri in early 2025 where he has been learning the traditional Tiwi way of carving Ironwood and painting using local ochres. 

Alan wants to carve and paint Tiwi animals and keep Tiwi culture and jilamara strong. His focus has been on birds, which are so central to Tiwi stories. Alan usually carves jijiyni, a small bird that is his totem. He comes from a strong culture family and wants to keep the culture, the stores and knowledge alive.