Naminapu MAYMURU-WHITE - Gunyan

ADG: 3079

Gunyan, 2001

81 x 36cm, Ochre (natural earth pigments) on bark (eucalyptus tetrodonta)

Naminapu MAYMURU-WHITE - Biography

Born 1952

Region North East Arnhem Land, NT

Community Yirrkala

Outstation Djarrakpi homeland

Language Manggalili

Local group Belang

Social affiliation Yirritja moiety, Bangarrdijan subsection

At an early age Naminapu watched her father Nanyin paint and when she was about about 12 tears old, and was also taught by her uncle Narritjin Maymuru. Both men were extremely capable and well-known artists, and their works hang in many Australian and overseas museums.

As one of the first Yolngu women to be taught to paint miny'tji (sacred creation clan designs) Nami assisted with the historic paintings by the elders in their Land Rights struggle, with the the Bark Petition and the Yirrkala Church Panels.

Naminapu worked as a teacher trainee and later completed her teacher training. She married Leon White, a teacher in the Northern Territory and they went to live for several years in Melbourne and Darwin, later travelling in Australia quite extensively, and in Japan. In 1985, Naminapu returned with her husband and family to live in Yirrkala, now no longer a mission station but a locally governed Aboriginal community. Following her return, she taught art to the children at the local school and then began working at the Craft Shop attached to the Buku-Larrnggay Arts Centre. In 1990, she was appointed Curator of the recently established Art Museum attached to this Centre, a position which she held until 1996. Nami has been teaching her niece Naminapu 2 everything about the Manggalili paintings.AWARDS

1996 Winner - Telstra Work on Paper Award.The Thirteenth National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museum and Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin

1998 Runner-Up. The Fourth National Indigenous Heritage Art Award. Old Parliament House Canberra. A. C. T. (Joint runner-up Norway Heritage Art Prize)

2005 Wandjuk Marika 3D Memorial Award, Milky Way. 22nd Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin

COLLECTIONS

Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin

Museum de Lyon, France

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

National Museum of Australia, Canberra

EXHIBITIONS

1984 Finalist. The First National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

1989 Paintings and Sculptures from Yirrkala, NORTH EAST ARNHEM LAND, Lyttleton Gallery, Melbourne

1990 The Seventh National Aboriginal Art Awards Exhibition, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

1992/3 New Tracks Old Land: An Exhibition of Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia, touring USA and Australia

1993 Namiyal Bopirri, Naminapu White, Australian Girls Own Gallery, Canberra, ACT

1994 Finalist. The Eleventh National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museum and Art Galleries of the NT, Darwin

1995 Minytji Buku-Larrgay, Paintings from the East, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

1995 Finalist. The Twelfth National Abobriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards,

Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

1997 Native Title, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney

1998 Buku-Larrgay Mulka, Print Exhibition, Yirrkala N.T.

1998 Buku-~arrgay Mulka Printmakers Exhibition. N. T. University Art Gallery Darwin

1999 Sydney-11th World Congress on In-Vitro Fertilization and Human Reproductive Genetics-Screen print produced for this Conference

1999 Alcaston Gallery -Melbourne. Printmakers and Djambawa Marawili Carvings

1999 London. Rebecca Hossack Gallery. Printmakers /Dhalwau paintings

1999 The Original Dreamtime Gallery-Alice Springs- Printmakers Exhibition

1999 Saltwater Country - Bark Paintings from Yirrkala, a National Tour - Canberra, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Alice Springs

1999 Print makers Exhibition-Boomalli- Sydney

1999 Hogarth Gallery-The Rocks- Sydney, Printmakers Touring Exhibition

2000 Ben Grady Gallery-Canberra-Printmakers Touring Exhibition

2000 Fireworks Gallery-Brisbane- Printmakers Touring Exhibition

2005 Finalist.Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards

2005 Nami, Bandigan Gallery, Sydney

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barlow, A., Hill M., & Gilbert, K., 1987, Artists Performers and Writers, Australian Aborigines, Macmillan, Australia