Peter Marralwanga

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (July 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Peter Marralwanga (1916–1987), also known as Djakku, which means left-handed,^[1] was a Yolgnu artist known for his painting.^[2]

Born in 1916 in West Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia, and ^[3] learning from Yirawala, a fellow artist and elder to Marralwanga from his community, Marralwanga is known for his creation of paintings both on paper and bark. Within these works, he reflects the artistic practices of his elders and community with elements of ceremonial and spiritual creatures alongside the cross-hatching pattern known as rarrk. He continued his legacy by teaching younger artists of his region such as his son, Ivan Namirrki, and nephew, John Mawurndjul. While Marralwanga did not begin to paint until later in his life, he is still highly regarded as a inspirational painter from the region.

Career[]

Marralwanga began to paint relatively late in his life during his mid 50s around 1970. Under the guidance of Yirawala, Marralwanga began to incorporate elements of ceremony into his works and, due to his age, he was able to incorporate more ceremonial elements and knowledge into the works as he had gained permission from the clan to depict these images.^[4] In Yolngu art, much of the content the artists depict is sacred. This means that many of the artists are left with strict guidelines of what they can and cannot picture in their works. However, oftentimes artists have special roles within a community which allows them to paint images that no other artists can depict within their works.^[5] Marralwanga’s use of rarrk also strayed from its original use for mortuary painting to ensure that traditional foods grow each season. Marralwanga passed his knowledge of rarrk to a new generation of artists and served as an inspiration to their works, much like Yirawala did for him.

While much of Marralwanga’s work was derived from ceremony, he still added elements from his own life and experience. Marralwanga described this interaction within his work between ceremony and his personal experience saying his works were “half secret one, half ordinary one."^[6] Marralwanga’s choice to explore his own experience as well as his deep ceremonial knowledge allowed for Marralwanga to create a diverse body of work which depicted many figures and ceremonies.

Works[]

• "Peter Marralwanga, Kuninjku people, Ngal-Kunburriyaymi 1982". Apple Podcasts (Podcast). National Gallery of Australia. 29 June 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
• Ngalyod, the Rainbow Serpent, at Manabinbala, 1980-81^[7]
• Mimih Spirit Dancing at Catfish Ceremony, 1979^[8]
• Kangaroo with Headdress and Spirit Figures, c. 1980s^[9]

Exhibitions[]

1981: Solo exhibition at Mary Macha at Aboriginal Traditional Arts

1983: Solo exhibition at Mary Macha at Aboriginal Traditional Arts

1989: A Myriad of Dreaming: Twentieth Century Aboriginal Art^[10]

1991: Aboriginal Art and Spirituality^[11]

2004: Crossing Country- the Alchemy of Western Arnhem Land Art^[12]

References[]

This article needs additional or more specific categories. Please by adding categories to it so that it can be listed with similar articles. (July 2021)