Badger Bates

(Australia 05 Oct 1947– )

Community
Broken Hill, Southern Riverine region
Language group
Paakantji, Southern Riverine region

Thina Yappa (Foot prints)

Location
Not on display
Further information

Badger Bates comes from the Paakantji people of the Darling River, western NSW. He has been central in encouraging local Aboriginal people to make linocuts by teaching and promoting the 'Far West School' in other centres. He first made linocuts with designs he had been carving on emu eggs since childhood; the new medium enabled him to make more detailed compositions. He uses traditional Aboriginal motifs and designs based on the region's rock art (engravings, stencils and paintings) and the wavy, geometric designs found on local wooden artefacts. His themes include depictions of local sites of significance and aspects of traditional lifestyle as well as Dreamtime stories.

"This is at Mutawintji. Emu and Kangaroo are coming in to drink. Nhatji is there. Boomerangs, goanna and hands and the tommy-axe (a stencil) are all at Mutawintji".

Hendrik Kolenberg and Anne Ryan, 'Australian prints from the Gallery's collection', AGNSW, 1998

Place of origin
New South Wales, Australia
Year
1993
Media
Print
Medium
linocut, black on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
33.0 x 30.9cm blockmark; 56.0 x 38.5cm sheet
Signature & date
Signed and dated l.r. corner, pencil "BADGER 93".
Credit
Mollie Gowing Acquisition Fund for Contemporary Aboriginal Art 1997
Accession number
288.1997