MONDJINGU, PETER (1931-1995)

"The Stick Insect - Warralawarrala" (c.1970)
natural pigments on bark
79 x 39cm
labels on verso
*private collection, Sydney
 
Mondjingu was a prominent Indigenous Australian bark painter. He lived at Millingimbi amongst the Gupapuyngu people. His totem was Birrkili, the Turtle. His barks were originally collected in the field by Jim Davidson, the owner of Australia's first tribal art gallery and placed into important collections including the National Gallery of Victoria and the Queensland Art Gallery. In 1984, he was one of a number of artists whose works were commissioned and collected for the Power Institute at Sydney University. These paintings and regalia subsequently became part of the permanent collection of Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art. Cf. Groger-Wurm, H., 1973, Australian Aboriginal Paintings and their Mythological Interpretation, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra.