JOHN MAWURNDJUL

Born at Mumeka, near the Mann River in Central Arnhem Land, John Mawurndjul was taught to paint by his elder brother Jimmy Njiminjuma and his uncle Peter Marralwanga. Today, he guides the development of his children and his niece Irenie Ngalinba, Jimmy Njiminjuma's daughter.

Mawurndjul painted collaboratively with his older brother, Jimmy Njiminjuma, until the late 1970s. At this early stage in his painting career, the primary subject matter for his work was the mythology of the surrounding environment at Milmilngkan. Throughout the early to mid 1980s, Mawurndjul painted small barks of Ngalyod (the Rainbow Serpent), other spirit beings including Namarrkon (the Lightning Spirit), and various depictions of the local natural species, such as fish, bandicoots, and possum. In all these subjects he paid precise attention to anatomical detail. Mawurndjul’s work at this time reflected his place as an heir to the long painting tradition of Kuninjku artists, who had created magnificent bark paintings over the previous decade.

Though artists such as Yirawala, Peter Marralwanga, and Mick Kubarkku incorporated rarrk designs into their art, this ‘design element’ remained secondary to the figurative elements, rarely leaving the interior of the figure and instead employing a plain background. This, in time, came to be thought of as the quintessential Central and Western Arnhem Land painting style. As time progressed, however, Mawurndjul increasingly allowed the rarrk designs to dominate, filling both the interior and surrounding space of his figures. By the mid 1990s, he had abandoned figurative iconography all but completely.