Artist: Guymala Namarredje | Title: Mimih and Pet Kangaroo | Year: c. 1970 | Medium: natural earth pigments on stringybark | Dimensions: 100 x 110cm

Artist Profile
Born around 1926 very little is known about John Namerredje Guymala’s early life, and he was already in his mid 40s before he created any bark paintings for sale. A countryman and contemporary of Lofty Nadjamerrek , Curly Bardkadubbu and Dick Murramurra he spoke Kunwinjku Language and in 1973, he moved with his wife and children to Yaymini outstation, far to the south of Maningrida, which he shared with Wally Mandarrk and his family.

Namerredje was a rock art painter, and his earliest barks were executed in the traditional Oenpelli X ray rock art style, most likely under the influence of Wally Mandarrk. These paintings showed the internal organs of animals and use traditional parallel rarrk. They were created on bark with a monochrome background and one or two dominant figurative elements. His later works abandon the X Ray style but maintain the monochrome background. These later paintings use cross hatching or blocks of colour instead of parallel line work. Continue Reading