Ian Abdulla (1947–2011) was an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

contemporary artist. A

Ngarrindjeri The Ngarrindjeri people are the traditional Aboriginal Australian people of the lower Murray River, eastern Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Coorong of the southern-central area of the state of South Australia. The term ''Ngarrindjeri'' means "belo ...

man who grew up on the banks of the

Murray Murray may refer to: Businesses * Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles * Murrays, an Australian bus company * Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust * D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, he has been called Australia's greatest naive artist.

Early life

Abdulla was born in 1947 at Swan Reach, on the Murray River, in the

Murraylands The Murraylands is a geographical region of the Australian state of South Australia (SA); its name reflects that of the river running through it. Lying due east of South Australia's capital city, Adelaide, it extends from the eastern slopes of ...

region of South Australia. His art depicts the landscape and activities of this area, with a strong storytelling element.

Career

In 1988, Abdulla learned

printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniq ...

at a workshop in

Glossop Glossop is a market town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is located east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of the county town, Matlock. Glossop lies near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Manches ...

, and the following year he began painting. In 1991 Abdulla was named South Australian Aboriginal Artist of the Year, and was awarded an

Australia Council The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

Fellowship in 1992. His book, ''As I Grew Older'' was awarded the Australian Multicultural Children's Literature Award in 1994 and, ''Tucker'' was short-listed for the Children's Book Council Eve Pownall Award for Information Books in 1995. Abdulla's work featured on the cover of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

's annual report. His works have been exhibited around the world and form part of the permanent collection at the

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

and the

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most importa ...

Death

On the morning of 29 January, at the age of 63, he died at the Berri Hospital, South Australia after a brief battle with cancer. His family was by his side.

Style

His works are distinct for their juxtaposition of text and image against a flattened foreground. Abdulla's handpainted annotations briefly describe the scene depicted and are placed dead centre at the top of his paintings.

Works

Books

* *

Artworks

*''Swimming before school'' (1995), synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 239.5 x 160.0 cm stretcher. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. *''Pelicans at Katarapko'' (1994), synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 121.8 x 151.5 x 4.0 cm stretcher. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

Sources

* * (includes a list of major exhibitions) River, Land, Memory: the work of Ian Abdulla, Adelaide Festival of Arts, on display at the Flinders University Art Museum, 2002. Nicholls, Christine, 2002, River, Land and Memory, The Work of Ian Abdulla, In Conversation: Ian Abdulla and Christine Nicholls, in exhibition catalogue River, Land and Memory, The Work of Ian Abdulla, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. March 2002, Interview of Ian Abdulla and Christine Nicholls, with Ian Henscke, ABC Television, South Australia.

References

External links

Ian Abdulla
at the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdulla, Ian Australian Aboriginal artists Australian painters Ngarrindjeri 1947 births 2011 deaths Australian Muslims