Mavis Ngallametta

Mavis Ngallametta (also known as Waal-Waal Ngallametta),[1] née Marbunt,[2] was an Indigenous Australian painter and weaver. She was a Putch clan elder and a cultural leader of the Wik and Kugu people of Aurukun, Cape York Peninsula, Far North Queensland.[3] Her work is held in national and state collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide and Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane.[4][5]

Mavis Ngallametta
Born(1944-08-10)August 10, 1944
DiedJanuary 28, 2019(2019-01-28) (aged 74)
Known forPainting, Weaving
MovementAustralian Indigenous Art
Mavis Ngallametta exhibition Show Me the Way to Go Home at Queensland Art Gallery, July 2020

Early life and education

Ngallametta was removed from her family at the age of five and grew up in the dormitories of Aurukun Mission.[6] She maintained connections with her family, learning to weave dilly bags and fruit bowls, made from cabbage palm and pandanus, from her mother and aunty.

Career

Mavis Ngallametta was initially recognised for her mastery of weaving in traditional materials. While attending a workshop at the Wik and Kugu Art Centre, run by Gina Allain, she began making small paintings depicting important cultural sites.[2] Larger paintings refer to the changing seasons as well as specific sites including Ikalath, where she collected the white clay Yalgamungken, for the vibrant local ochres; her traditional country, the coastal side of Kendall River, which she was able to view from the air; Wutan, a camping site belonging to her adopted son Edgar; and various pamp, or swamps, around Aurukun.[7] Ngallametta painted with traditional materials, including ochres, clays and charcoal, which she collected herself.[2] Between 2011 and 2019, she created 46 monumental paintings.[8] According to Sally Butler: "nearly every major public and private art collection in Australia" acquired one of these large-scale paintings between 2011 and 2014.

Work

Major exhibitions

Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art is hosting the first major retrospective of Ngallametta's work in 21 March – 2 August 2020.

Public and private collections[8]

Awards and nominations
  • 2004 Community Arts Achievement Award, Western Cape College, Weipa, Queensland[8][2]
  • 2013 Telstra General Painting Award

Australia Council for the Arts

The Australia Council for the Arts is the arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. Since 1993, it has awarded a Red Ochre Award. It is presented to an outstanding Indigenous Australian (Aboriginal Australian or Torres Strait Islander) artist for lifetime achievement.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2018[18] herself Red Ochre Award Awarded

References
  1. "Mavis Ngallametta Archives". Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art Blog. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  2. "Waal-Waal Ngallametta". Warren Entsch MP. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  3. "Vale: Mrs Waal-Waal Ngallametta". QAGOMA. 9 March 2019.
  4. "Waal-Waal Ngallametta". NGA. 9 March 2019.
  5. "Mrs Waal Waal Ngallametta". QAGOMA.
  6. "Mavis Ngallametta A Shift in Perspective". Art Collector. 9 January 2019.
  7. "Vale: Mrs Waal-Waal Ngallametta". Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art Blog. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  8. "Martin Browne Contemporary | Mrs Waal-Waal Ngallametta CV". www.martinbrownecontemporary.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  9. Ngallametta, Mavis. "Ghost net basket". Item held by National Gallery of Australia. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  10. Ngallametta, Mavis. "Yalgamulchen #2". Item held by National Gallery of Australia. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  11. Ngallametta, Mavis. "Lid for Ghost net basket". Item held by National Gallery of Australia. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  12. Ngallametta, Mavis. "The Road to Pawpaw Behind Swampy Area". Item held by National Gallery of Australia. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  13. "Works by "Mavis Ngallametta" :: The Collection :: Art Gallery NSW". www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  14. "AGSA: Waal Waal Ngallametta". AGSA – The Art Gallery of South Australia. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  15. Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art (27 April 2020). "Explore the work of Mavis Ngallametta". QAGOMA Blog. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  16. "New 2009: Selected recent acquisitions". art-museum.uq.edu.au. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  17. "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art and History". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  18. "Dr Ken Thaiday Senior". Australia Council. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.

Further reading
  • Aurukun Artists: Yuk Wiy Min (Wood and Other Things), Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane, 2009 [ex. cat.]
  • Aurukun Artists: Wiy min yumpan ngamp (We made all this), Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane, 2008 [ex. cat.]
  • Butler, Sally (ed) Before Time today, Reinventing Tradition in Aurukun Aboriginal Art, 2010, University of Queensland Press, St Lucia.
  • Demozay, Marion. Gatherings II, 2006, Keeaira Press, Southport.
  • Albert, Tony, "New creation in Aurukun Ceremonial Art", in Blak On Blak, Artlink, 2010, Volume 30.1.
  • Parkes, Brian (editor). Woven Forms: Contemporary basket making in Australia, Object: Australian Centre for Craft and Design, Surry Hills, NSW, 2005 [ex. cat.]
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