Yirawala

Yirawala was born into the Naborn clan of the Kunwinjku language, and he was raised in the Marrkolidjban region, inland from Maningrida, an Indigenous community in Western Arnhem Land.[5][3][6] He was born of the Duwa moiety.[7] Though little is known of Yirawala's early life, he was fathered by Nowaritj, a significant religious leader who retained knowledge of his people's symbols and cave galleries rock paintings.[8] He spent most of his life on Croker Island and retained strong family and cultural ties. His artistic ability became apparent at an early age.[3] He grew up surrounded by the rich culture as he learned his father's designs, songs, stories, and rock art.[8] Spiritual and cultural knowledge is taught by elders in the community and is integral to the Aboriginal people, therefore, Yirawala spent much of his early life learning.

Yirawala was commonly known as "Picasso of Arnhem Land".[3] Picasso was an admirer of Yirawala's work and apparently said "When one observes his dynamic use of positive and negative space one understands why this is so."[9] Through this encounter, Yirawala demonstrated the power of indigenous artists to impact non-indigeonous audiences. After seeing Yirawala's intricately manufactured aesthetic of bark paintings, Picasso declared "This is what I have been trying to achieve all my life".[10] Yirawala was a key figure in the history of Australian art and the 1970s contemporary Indigenous art movement in Papunya.[10][11]

Yirawala was an active painter from the 1960s until his death.[12] He has produced many works using natural ochres on eucalyptus bark, a medium that is traditional of Northern Arnhemland. His art style is characteristic of those present on the rock-art galleries he grew up around. He garnered a lot of guidance and inspiration from rock-art styles and transformed ceremonial knowledge into bark paintings. He is widely acknowledged as one of the most important artists of his generation.[6] His work is distinguished from other styles as he incorporates Mardayin, Lorrkon, and Wubarr traditional body designs, while incorporating rarrk.[12] Rarrk is a style that is derived from traditional ritual practices and features geometric cross-hatching.[10] Rarrk is symbolic of ancestral power. Yirawala, due to his authority as a cultural leader, demonstrated his authority by revolutionizing the art of Arnhem land.[1] Much of his work features dynamic figures in the x-ray style of art.

In 1964 Yirawala met Sandra Le Brun Holmes, who became his patron. Holmes was a Darwin resident who helped the Aboriginal people preserve their culture.[2] She organized his first solo exhibition in 1971.[1] This travelling exhibition of his bark paintings was shown in Adelaide, Melbourne, Orange and Port Morseby.[4]

Art dealers went against Yirawala's wishes of presenting and selling his paintings in story cycles, and most of the profit for his artwork went directly to the art dealers. His artwork was sold both within Australia and overseas. This caused Yirawala to become disillusioned with the art industry and he never knew the outcome of many of his famous and sacred artworks.[3] Yirawala strongly opposed the commercialisation of his work.[4] Through his artwork, Yirawala was a part of a movement among the Aboriginal people to acquire self-determination and independence. His work helped modify Western perspectives of "contemporary" art while also helping bring Aboriginal art to the Western art landscape.

Yirawala often told witty stories and had a great sense of humour which prevented him becoming completely disillusioned with the commercial art industry. He is often fondly remembered as having a handsome and dignified face with piercing eyes, shielded by an old bush hat.[3]

Marrkolidjban outstation in the Liverpool River region played an important role in the development of Aboriginal art. It was here that Yirawala taught and influenced other artists such as Curly Bardkadubba, Peter Marralwanga and John Mawurndjul.[13] Techniques in cross-hatching were learned and expanded on by a new generation of artists.

When Yirawala returned to Croker Island, he introduced cross-hatching to artists there, including Midjau Midjau and Samual Wagbara.[14]

Yirawala's willingness to blend different regional painting styles resulted in major artistic and stylistic innovations in Aboriginal bark paintings.

Yirawala was married three times and had seven children.[4] For a time, he lived in Oenpelli(Gunbalanya) with his first wife, with whom he had three children.[2] He then married Mary Malilba with whom he had one daughter and two sons.[2] He later married Margaret Monanggu with whom he had a son.[2] Little is known about them aside from two sons, Bobby and Danny, who lived on Croker Island.[3] He settled with his family on Croker Island in the late 1950s, by which time he was an influential and important bark painter.[4]

Yirawala was a ceremonial leader, a law-carrier and a medicine man and healer.[4] Yirawala was perceived as a man of integrity and wisdom. He dedicated himself to the preservation of his people's culture.[3] Lazarus Lamilami described him as one of a great line of ceremonial leaders who inherited sacred designs to be passed on to future generations.[3] As elders within the community are tasked with passing down cultural knowledge, by the 1950s, Yirawala became a teacher to both his own community and outsiders.[12] Yirawala was also a strong advocate for land rights.

Yirawala was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1971 and received the International Art Cooperation Award. Following the awarding of his MBE, Adelaide sculptor John Dowie was commissioned to create a bronze bust of Yirawala. Yirawala believed that this sculpture held his spirit.

Yirawala died on 17 April 1976 on Croker Island, where he is buried in Minjilang cemetery.[2] After his death, the possession of the bronze sculpture became controversial. At the time, the sculpture was held by the Adelaide Art Gallery, however, after some dispute, it was given to Yirawala's family.[3]

The National Gallery of Australia was the first public institution to recognize his significance as an Australian artist,[12] as they acquired 139 of his paintings in 1976. In 1982. One of his paintings was used on the 27¢ stamp, which commemorated the 15th anniversary of the National Gallery. At the time, it was the largest collection by an Aboriginal artist to be featured in a public institution.[12] His works are hosted in many Australian state galleries and international collections.[4] He has been the subject of two films that Holmes made: Return to the Dreaming (1968) and The Picasso of Arnhem Land (1982). Images of Yirawala's bark paintings from the National Museum of Australia's collection can be found online.[1]

• 1971 Yirawala, University of Sydney
• 1988 Dreamings: The Art of Aboriginal Australia, Asia Society, New York
• 1993 Aratjara: Art of the First Australians, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf (1993), touring Europe (1993–1994)
• 1993-1994 MCA Aboriginal Art: The Arnott's Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney
• 2004 Crossing Country: The Alchemy of Western Arnhem Land Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
• 2007 One sun, one moon, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
• 2008 They Are Meditating: Bark Paintings from the MCA's Arnott's Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney
• 2010 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art: Collection Highlights, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
• 2011 Tell me Tell me: Australian and Korean Contemporary Art 1976–2011, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul
• 2014 Old Masters: Australia's Great Bark Artists, National Museum of Australia, Canberra[15]