Thompson Yulidjirri

Thompson Yulidjirri was born in 1930 and raised on Croker Island by the artist Paddy Compass Namadbara, who adopted Yulidjirri after his parents' death at a young age.[1] After an attack by Japanese planes during World War II, Yulidjirri and Namatbara moved to the coast of the Arafura Sea for safety,[1] where he grew up in north east Arnhem Land.[2] Yulidjirri worked at a saw mill in Murgenella as a teen and on the barge that dropped supplies to communities along the coast from Darwin.[1]

In early 1990s, Yulidjirri came to Injalak Arts to paint, and eventually began teaching and mentoring the young men around him.[3] While he would paint, he would tell select young men around him the stories he was painting and teach them his techniques.[3] This was significant because the young men that Yulidjirri imparted his knowledge to had no close blood relation to him or his country and these men later went on to be the primary art producers at the centre today.[3] Yulidjirri would finish a piece, bring it to Injalak, and many of his fellow artists would gather around to hear him discuss its meaning.[1] Many visitors come to tour Injalak Hill, an ancient rock art site nearby, and Yulidjirri served as one of the original guides.[1] He passed on much of his knowledge and understanding of the imagery on the rock walls to the newer generation of guides so that the stories could be preserved and remembered.[1]

In the early 1990s, Thompson Yulidjirri began painting at Injalak Arts and became a mentor to many young men there.[3] Yulidjirri mentored the art center's founder, Gabriel Maralngurra which serves to underscore just how large of an impact Yulidjirri had on Injalak Arts, especially those of Maralngurra's generation. One article describes a painting style used among this generation as "Yulidjirri mode". This style features figures with long, articulated limbs and beak-like mouths and cross-hatching known as rarrk.[4] The use of rarrk is connected to the Madayin ceremony, meaning that when it is featured in works, there is a hidden meaning in its depiction about the artist's clan.[5] Using rarrk in his works allowed Yulidjirri to combine tradition and ancestral power with the contemporary.[5]

As younger generations began to experiment and innovate, tensions arose. Young artists preferred to paint similarly to older painters, rather than the approved images of non-sacred images which they were allowed to paint.[5] This led to anger from older artists, however, Yulidjirri worked as a mediator between innovation and tradition to alleviate tensions and guide the new generation of artists. These men that Yulidjirri mentored and taught continue his tradition as they pass knowledge and skills down to the younger generations.[1] The artist Gary Djorlam notes, "Old Thompson Yulidjirri I is the one who taught us how to paint. Then he passed it on to his children, even myself and the boys who works here at Injalak. He was the best artist and a story teller, I'm proud off him, his painting and teaching and telling stories all sorts of dreaming stories, animals and birds, trees, mountains, animals like crocodiles, kangaroo or even the rainbow serpent."[6]

In 1988, Yulidjirri traveled to Los Angeles for the opening of the exhibition Dreams and Life at Caz Gallery in West Hollywood.[7] Along with fellow artist Bobby Barrdjaray Nganjmirra, Yulidjirri painted a two-sided piece of slate measuring over 7 feet tall and more than 5 feet wide. The work was purchased by American businessman John W. Kluge, an Aboriginal arts collector and the founder of Metromedia,[5] before being donated to the University of Virginia in 1997.[8] In 1997, Yulidjirri was invited to create an imitation rock shelter at the Australian Museum in Sydney. For many years, the work was the centerpiece of the museum's Indigenous Australian display.[4]

From 1991 to 1992, Yulidjirri painted five works on paper for the John W. Kluge Injalak Commission, including Ngurlmarrk–The Ubarr Ceremony.[5] His work was so well-liked because he had no preferred medium, nor did he place heavy significance on medium.[5] Instead, the importance of his art was drawn from the sense of community he built from his production of art. His work focused on stories told to him, which he passed on to others, and from there his community spread.[5] He was able to bring tradition to the present and make it interactive and engaging with others.[5]

In 1995, Yulidjirri was the subject of a feature article by Paul Raffaele in the July edition of Reader's Digest.

Yulidjirri also worked as an author and advisor on two collaborations, "Mimi" and "Crying Boy" done by the Stalker/Marrugeku Theatre Company.[1] This group toured internationally with the Injalak traditional dancers, and Yulidjirri's posters and image were used in various magazines such as Qantas magazine's "I still call Australia home" campaign as well as in Reader's Digest in 1998.[1] Yulidjirri has found much success in painting; his works can be found in some of the most prestigious collections, he has been a NATSIAA finalist on multiple occasions, and his art hangs in Darwin Airport.[1]

One major work of art by Thompson Yulidjirri is called Ngurlmarrk--The Ubarr Ceremony from 1991, which was purchased by John Kluge.[5] The story of the creation of the Ubarr ceremony begins with an ancient hunter and magician known as Yirrbardbard, who planned to murder his wife and mother in law.[5] In a cave in Gunbalanya, Yirrbardbard drew on the walls a picture of his wife and mother-in-law, with a snake mid-strike at their feet.[5] He then turned into a snake himself to murder them; afterwards, he decides to create a ceremony to tribute his deed and names Nadlumi the kangaroo to be the keeper of the ceremony (Ubarr).[5] In this work, Yulidjirri depicts the ancient snake and kangaroo, as well as contemporary implementations of the ceremony; this work combines the past and present, spiritual and secular, and he uses rarrk to unify it all.[5]

Another work by Thompson Yulidjirri is Black Crow and the Fish Trap.[9] Yulidjirri painted this based on a story taught to him by another painter, Midjawmidjaw. In the story, the Black Crow made a fish trap.[9] When the Black Crow went to sleep, some people came and took the trap so that they could catch fish in the river.[9] When the Black Crow woke up and discovered this, he was furious. In a rage, he cut down a paperbark tree, which divided the island of Goulburn in two when it fell.[9] Now, there exists a North Goulburn and South Goulburn. Anywhere on the island, one will not see a black crow catching or eating fish; only the other birds.[9] In the painting, there a large fishing net, which Yulidjirri used rarrk to depict the weaving of the net. Next to the fishing net is a human, who eventually steals the net in the story, with the Black Crow above him (Photo unavailable due to copyright restrictions, but can be viewed in the following footnote).[9]

Aside from rock art and paper, Yulidjirri has also made prints. There is one plate in particular which Yulidjirri based on rock art near Gunbalanya.[2] In the lithograph, he depicts Yingana, an ancestral figure.[2] Yingana is an important part of the Kunwinjku culture, as she created the Aboriginal people.[2] In her tale, Yingana came from the Arfura sea with dillybags full of yams.[2] As she traveled around the land, she planted yams and scattered spirit children around, giving them all different languages and cultures; these would be the original members of current clans.[2]

• Australian Museum, Sydney
• Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia[10]
• National Gallery of Australia[11]
• National Gallery of Victoria[12]
• National Museum of Australia[13]