ANGELINA GEORGE

Birthplace: Nutwood Downs Station, NT

Language Group: Yungul Mangi (Mara and warndarang)

Angelina was born about 5 miles from Nut wood Downs Station on 25 November 1937. Angelina's mother worked at the Roper River Mission, sewing clothes for the children, including her own five daughters, the Joshua Sisters (all since married); Dinah Garadji, Gertrude Huddleston, Eva Rogers, Betty Roberts and the youngest Angelina George.

Angelina and her sisters attended mission school (Mr. Palmer and Mr. Lesky – from the Anglican Church) and worked in the Mission gardens, although Angelina tried to avoid it as much as possible. Eva Rogers was a schoolteacher too and Dinah Garadji helped in school and the gardens.

"I was the naughtiest girl! I used to run down to the river when I should be at school, and go fishing with the old people. One time they saw me and started paddling away in a canoe. I sung out to them to "stop!" but they kept going, so I jumped in and swam after them. Not many crocodiles then like now."

Angelina is the youngest of the Joshua sisters. Her work often features moody, undulating landscapes of rivers and hills, or bright bold bush flowers and birds. Angelina enjoys painting and spending time with her grandchildren.

Angelina's people are called Ngyameratjara, fresh water people, and one of her favorite things is to go fishing in the rivers and billabongs, especially Yellow Waters Billabong, or Boomerang Lagoon – both featured in many of her paintings.

"In the mission days we planted short beans, green beans, pawpaw, bananas, cabbage, rock melon, carrot and beetroot…big bean garden down the riverside…irrigation was put in with a pump water ran through the trench… peanuts had another farm.

After gardening helped little bit in the school kitchen work in the kitchen real early set yeast every night for making bread: Miss Rendall was the cook. (She died now in Sydney or Melbourne)"

Angelina is a contemporary artist whose paintings are explorations of the landscape: reflecting and imagining the space and structure of the country. The distinctive feature of her work is her attention to detail in capturing moody, undulating aerial perspectives of place. Dry creek beds, burnt trees, sandy river systems, swollen billabongs, sweeping birds, veins of fresh flora on the rocks, walking tracks and camp sites give evidence to the intimate relationship Angelina enjoys with her past and her land. These journeys are magnified in bright bold paintings of layered bush flowers and birds.

Angelina enjoys painting and is producing works that are the result of patience, a serious interest in her own profile and increasing confidence in her own unique style.

Selected Collections:

Karen Brown Collection

McAlpine Collection

Laverty Collection

National Gallery of Victoria

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory

Kerry Stokes Collection

Lisa Paulsen Collection

Awards:

2011 Finalist, WA Indigenous Art Award, AGWA Perth

2009 TOGA Art Award, Darwin

2008 Highly Commended, Telstra NATSIAA, MAGNT Darwin

2007 Winner, General Painting Prize, Telstraa NATSIAA, MAGNT Darwin

Publications:

2009 The Australian, Nicholas Rothwell, Renaissance on the Roper

2009 Colour Country, Art From Roper River, Cath Bowdler

2008 The Australian, Nicolas Rothwell, Call of the Wider Sunshine

2007 Australian Gourmet Traveller, March Edition

2006 Art and Australia Magazine, Anita Angel

2006 The Weekend Australian, My Imagined Country, Nicolas Rothwell

February 17th 1991 Ngukurr, Anthony Knight

Solo Exhibitions:

2010 Karen Brown Gallery, Dawin NT Hiding Places

2009 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Burrunji Country

2008 Randall Lane Fine Art, Perth WA Dry Season Long Time

2008 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Far Away Places – August

2007 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Near Ruined City

2006 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT My Imagined Country, February

2000 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Solo Exhibition Angelina George

1999 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Recent Works – Angelina George

1996 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Angelina George

1996 Shades of Ochre, Darwin NT Solo Exhibition Angelina George

Group Exhibitions:

2010 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Retrospective – December 2010

2010 Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne VIC Hiding Places Melbourne Art Fair – August 2010

2010 Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

2009 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Rising Stars Modern Classics – August

2008 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Joshua Sisters

2008 Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne Vic

2008 Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

2008 Noosa Long Weekend, Noosa QLD My Country Two – June

2007 Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Winner Open Painting Prize

2007 Viviene Anderson Gallery, Melbourne Vic Women's Show

2007 Art Sydney, Sydney NSW

2006 Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

2006 Noosa Long Weekend, Noosa QLD My Country – June

2004 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Angelina George and Betty Roberts

2001 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Group Show – Joshua Sisters

2000 Melbourne Art Fair 2000 Karen Brown Gallery

2000 Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 17th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

1999 Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 16th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

1998 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Recent works – Joshua Sister's Dinah Garadji, Gertie Huddleston, Betty Roberts, Eva Rogers and
Angelina George

1997 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin NT Recent works – Joshua Sister's Dinah Garadji, Gertie Huddleston, Betty Roberts, Eva Rogers and
Angelina George

1995 Chapman Gallery, Canberra Group Exhibition

1995 Shades of Ochre, Darwin NT Joshua Sister's Exhibition

1994 Shades of Ochre, Darwin NT Workshops – Joshua Sister's Dinah Garadji, Gertie Huddleston, Betty Roberts, Eva Rogers and
Angelina George