In our upcoming solo exhibition, we are showcasing original works by the Aboriginal Australian artist couple Moima Willie & Willie Gudabi from Ngukurr, Northern Territory, Australia.
Moima Willie, née Samuels (Wuyagiba and Yellow Water Billabong, Northern Territory ca. 1935 – 2014 Ngukurr, Northern Territory) grows up on an Anglican mission and initially has little access to her own culture; she does not know her native language and very little about the ceremonies and stories of her people.
Willie Gudabi (Nutwood Downs Station, Northern Territory ca. 1916 – 1996 Ngukurr, Northern Territory ) is a high-ranking elder and master of ceremonies of the Alawa people. He is one of the leading artists of the original Ngukurr Art School and co-founds the Ngundugunya Association of Artists in the late 1980s. He experiments with screen printing, then paints with acrylics on canvas, developing a sophisticated, energetic style in the process.
The works of Moima Willie and Willie Gudabi can be interpreted as traditional maps and depict complex narratives about animal laws, circumcision and burial ceremonies as well as love songs. The compositions are rich in events and symbolism; the images recount totem and Dreamtime stories, featuring turtles, bull ants, medicinal plants, snakes and dancing women.
Together, the two create exceptionally vivid paintings; Willie Gudabi frequently depicts animal laws, whilst Moima Willie supplements these with love stories featuring totem animals, birds and fish.
These narrative depictions serve to explain, uphold, convey and defend the stories and laws. In this way, the legends and myths are properly understood and preserved. Much like the multi-layered meanings in Gudabi’s oral narratives, the paintings also reveal different levels of meaning depending on the viewer’s knowledge.
The colours in the mind’s eye and in the imagination of these two artists, who express their Country and culture onto their remarkable paintings, set a precedent in Australian First Nations art. Together with other artists based in Ngukurr – many of whom live far from their inherited Country – they have gone on to be recognised as great contemporary Australian artists.
History of the Ngukurr Art School
The Roper River Mission in southeastern Arnhem Land was taken over by a government agency in 1968; since then, it has been known as Ngukurr—“place of many stones.” Historically, during a period of extreme colonial abuses, including massacres, Ngukurr served as a gathering place for people from various language groups. This diverse population is reflected in the radically different works of the older artists who emerged in Ngukurr in the late 1980s.
In 1987, the Open College of TAFE in Katherine launched an adult education initiative in Ngukurr. In the old hospital building on Beat Street—which became known as the “Painting Shed”—spaces were set up for screen-printing classes. The introduction of colored printing inks particularly inspired the locals, including Willie Gudabi, Djambu Barra Barra, and Ginger Riley Munduwalawala.
In 1989, the local elementary school took over artistic direction for the Open College of TAFE in Katherine.
Solo Exhibitions (Selection)
1990 William Mora Galleries, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in collaboration with Alcaston House Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1991 Aboriginal Arts Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in collaboration with Alcaston House Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1992 Alcaston House Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1993 Alcaston House Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
2002 "Willie Gudabi & Moima, previously unseen works on paper", Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
2018 "Willie Gudabi and Moima Willie: Stories from the Cox and Roper Rivers - An Archive Survey", Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Honors and Awards (Selection):
1993 Gold Coast Art Prize, Gold Coast City Gallery, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
1993 The Alice Prize, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
Collections (selection):
publications (selection)
Photos: courtesy Beverly Knight
