Elizabeth NYUMI NUNGURRAYI - Waterholes, Bush Foods near Kiwirrk

ADG: 1214

Waterholes, Bush Foods near Kiwirrkura, 1998

120 x 80cm

Elizabeth NYUMI NUNGURRAYI - Biography

Born c. 1947

Language Pintupi

Location Parwalla

Community Balgo, Western Australia

Stories Parwalla country, bush foods, Purra (bush tomato), Rockholes and soaks, Coolamons and digging sticks, Kantilli (bush raisin), Minyali (seed), Nynmi (Jupiter well) Tjukurrpa - Dreamtime story about an old woman who killed and ate a snake with her children.

Elizabeth Nyumi Nungurrayi is a respected artist of the Balgo arts community. Elizabeth lives at Kururrungku (Billiluna), an outlying community from Balgo Hills. Elizabeth's mother belonged to the country of Nynmi (Jupiter well) near Kiwirrkurra on the Pintupi side. Tragically she died quite young from a dingo bite at the Kanari soak water close to Jupiter Well. Her father was from Alyarra in the region of Natajarra. Elizabeth Nyumi lived a nomadic existence with her family group on the Canning Stock Route before walking into Old Mission with her father after her mother had died. Here she was given clothes and taken to Billiluna and trained as a domestic worker.

Elizabeth Nyumi is an enthusiastic teacher of her culture to the children of Billiluna, ensuring the traditional dances and songs are kept alive. Nyumi keeps her culture alive by her arts practice, singing and dancing, ensuring that traditional ceremonies and rituals are maintained. Nyumi also advises the nursing staff at the health clinic about traditional bush medicines and she is also knowledgeable about carving coolamons and digging sticks.

Elizabeth Nyumi's paintings depict her country, celebrating an abundance of bush foods. Nyumi paints motifs of small camps, coolamons and bush tucker trees and scrubs. Elizabeth Nyumi has travelled to the Netherlands and to Sydney, Perth, Darwin and Alice Springs for exhibitions of her work. Nyumi had solo exhibitions in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and she has travelled interstate and overseas to attend openings of her exhibitions. In 2004 Nyumi’s artwork was selected for inclusion in the Biennale of Sydney. Nyumi is a much loved, vibrant and active member of her community.

Solo Exhibitions

2004 Elizabeth Nyumi, Raft Artspace, Darwin, NT

2004 Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, NSW

2003 Elizabeth Nyumi, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Vic

2002 Elizabeth Nyumi, Aboriginal and Pacific Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW

2001 Parwalla, Raft Artspace, Darwin, NT

Group Exhibitions

2008 Balgo Survey, Redot Gallery, Singapore

2007 Survey, They Might Be Giants, Woolloongaba Art Gallery, Brisbane

2006 Balgo

2006 Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne

2006 Recent Works, Short Street Gallery, Broome

2006 Singing and Dancing up the Country, Raft Gallery, Darwin

2006 Elizabeth Nyumi, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne

2005 Elizabeth Nyumi, Aboriginal and Pacific Art, Sydney

2004 Elizabeth Nyumi, Raft Artspace, Darwin

2004 Biennale of Sydney, Sydney

2003 Elizabeth Nyumi, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne

2006 Balgo Survey Show, Redot Gallery, Singapore

2006 Warlayirti Suite Print Exhibition, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne

2006 Survey , Scott Livesey Art Dealer, Melbourne

2006 Desert Mob, Aruluen Art Center, Alice Springs

2005 Balgo 2005, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne

2005 Glass from the Sand Country, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne

2004 Desert Mob, Araluen Centre for Arts, Alice Springs

2004 29th Annual Shell Fremantle Print Award, Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle

2004 Recent Works, Short Street Gallery, Broome

2004 Balgo Prints, Northern Editions, Darwin

2004 21st Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

2004 Over the Top, Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle

2004 Balgo a Go Go, Grantpirrie, Sydney

2004 Balgo 4-04, Warlayirti Artists, Balgo

2003 Big Country, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs

2003 Eight by Three, Scott Livesey Art Dealer, Melbourne

2003 Desert Mob, Araluen Centre for Arts, Alice Springs

2003 20th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

2003 Purtatjanirri Kamu Warrmala, Framed Gallery, Darwin

2003 Balgo Brilliance, Art Mob, Hobart

2003 Palya Minyirri, Thornquest Gallery, Gold Coast

2002 30th Alice Prize, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs

2002 Balgo Hills, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne

2002 Desert Mob, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs

2002 Balgo Hills, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne

2002 Desert Mob, Arulen Centre, Alice Springs

2002 Art from Balgo, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Spring

2002 Balgo Hills: An artist’s survey, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney

2002 Balgo Hills Artists 2002, Art Mob, Aboriginal Fine Art, Hobart

2002 Big Colour My Country, Thornquest Gallery, Gold Coast

2001 Aborigena Arte, Australiana Contemporuneu, Torino, Palazzo Bricherasio, Italy

2001 Desert Mob, Arulen Centre, Alice Springs

2001 18th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

2001 Kutjungka, Bett Gallery, Hobart

2001 Balgo Works, Staedtische Gallery, Wolsfburg, Germany

2001 Recent Works by Artists from Balgo Hills, Ochre Gallery, Collingwood, Victoria

2001 Balgo Artists Return to Country, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne

2001 Spirituality and Australian Aboriginal Art, Alcaston Gallery, Madrid, Spain

2001 Past Modern: an exhibition of Kimberley Landscapes, Short Street Gallery in conjunction with Australia Square, Sydney

2000 This Earth for Us, Australia Dreaming at the Commonwealth Institute, Helen Read Touring Exhibition London, Bristol & Edinburgh, UK

2000 The Westside: Images in Ochre and Colour, Coo-ee II Exhibiting Gallery, Yuwayi Art Precinct, World Square, Sydney

2000 Balgo Hills, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne

2000 17TH Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

2000 Melbourne Artfair 2000, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne

2000 Waltja – Family, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney

2000 Fifth National Indigenous Heritage Art Award, Art of Place, Old Parliament House, Canberra

2000 Balgo Art, Gondwana Gallery, Alice Springs

2000 Balgo Hills Aboriginal Paintings, Bett Gallery, Hobart

2000 Aboriginal Art, Galerie Baehr, Leverkusen, Germany

2000 Aboriginal Art, Galerie Baehr, Dormagen, Germany

1999 16th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

1999 Mularrpa (True) Balgo, Framed, the Darwin Gallery, Darwin

1999 Miliynyin, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney

1999 Miliynyin, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle

1998 Ngurrara: My own Country, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney

1998 15th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

1997 Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs

1997 Balgo Paintings, Seywald Gallery, Salzburg, Austria

1997 New Paintings from Balgo Artists, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne

1997 14th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

1997 New Painting by Balgo Women, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne

1997 Dreamings: Aboriginal kunst uit Australie, Eusebius, Arnhem, The Netherlands

1993 Wirrimanu: the Art of Balgo Hills, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Paddington

1992 Warlayirti Artists’ Homelands, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Paddington

1990 Songlines: Paintings from Balgo Hills, Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London, UK

1989 Warlayirti Artists: Continuing Links with Land, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Paddington

Collections

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth

Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney

Artbank, Sydney

The Holmes a Court Collection, Perth

Morven Estate

Helen Read Collection

Harland Collection

Aboriginal Art Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Laverty Collection