Title
Mimihs at Milmilngkan
1989
Artist
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Details
- Other Titles
- Mimihs at Minmilgan
Mimih at Milmilngkan - Place where the work was made
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Milmilngkan
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Western Arnhem Land
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Northern Territory
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Australia
- Date
- 1989
- Media category
- Bark painting
- Materials used
- natural pigments on eucalyptus bark
- Dimensions
- 249.0 x 95.0 cm
- Signature & date
Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Purchased 2002
- Location
- North Building, ground level, Yiribana Gallery
- Accession number
- 98.2002
- Copyright
- © John Mawurndjul, Maningrida Arts and Culture/Copyright Agency
- Artist information
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John Mawurndjul
Works in the collection
- Share
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About
John Mawurndjul's painting 'Mimihs at Milmilngkan' 1989 is an outstanding example of the late 1980s Mawurndjul. During his painting career the artist has gradually moved from depicting familiar representations of such spiritual entities as Ngalyod the rainbow serpent and the mermaid-like female spirits or yawkyawks, to dazzling abstract patterning that completely covers the bark. These 'abstract' bark paintings represent body painting for the Mardayin ceremonies and relate to sites near his homeland at Mumeka. There is also a connection with the dazzling optical effects associated with the skin of the rainbow serpent.
Mawurndjul is arguably the finest bark painter working at the moment. He is particularly noted for his fine rarrk and the distinctive patterning that is displayed in the painting 'Untitled' 2000. Mawurndjul was tutored by his brother Jimmy Njiminjuma (b.1945) and uncle, Peter (Djakku) Marralwanga (c.1916-1987), both superb artists.
John Mawurndjul has had solo exhibitions at Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi in Melbourne since 1991. He regularly shows at Annandale Galleries in Sydney and his work is in many public and private collections in Australia and overseas. Mawurndjul has won several prizes including the 1999 Telstra Bark Painting Award at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award held by the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory.
© Australian Art Department, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2002
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Exhibition history
Shown in 5 exhibitions
Crossing country: the alchemy of Western Arnhem Land art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 24 Sep 2004–12 Dec 2004
rarrk – John Mawurndjul: Zeitreise in Nordaustralien, Museum Tinguely, Basel, 21 Sep 2005–29 Jan 2006
rarrk – John Mawurndjul: Zeitreise in Nordaustralien, Sprengel Museum Hannover, Germany, 19 Feb 2006–06 Jun 2006
The Dreamers (2009-10), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 09 May 2009–15 Aug 2010
John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new, Museum of Contemporary Art, Australia, 06 Jul 2018–23 Sep 2018
John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 11 Oct 2018–28 Jan 2019
Yiribana Gallery: opening collection display, Art Gallery of New South Wales, North Building, Sydney, 03 Dec 2022–29 May 2023
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Bibliography
Referenced in 4 publications
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Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of New South Wales Annual Report 2002, 'Year in review', pg. 8-25, Sydney, 2002, 8, 9 (colour illus.).
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Guido Magnaguagno (Director) and Bernhard Lüthi (Curator), "rarrk" John Mawurndjul: journey through time in northern Australia, Basel, 2005, 104 (colour illus.), 227.
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Hetti Perkins, Crossing country: the alchemy of western Arnhem Land art, Sydney, 2004, 75 (colour illus.), 226.
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Luke Taylor, Between indigenous Australia and Europe: John Mawurndjul: art histories in context, 'Painted energy: John Mawurndjul and the negotiation of aesthetics in Kuninjku bark painting', pg. 31-45, Canberra, 2009, 39, 40 (illus.), 215 (illus.). titled 'Mimih at Milmilngkan'; figure 6 and figure 47
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