Peter Marralwanga (1916–1987), also known as Djakku (meaning

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

), was a Aboriginal Australian artist known for his painting. He was a member of the Kardbam clan of the

Bininj The Bininj are an Aboriginal Australian people of Western Arnhem land in the Northern Territory. The sub-groups of Bininj are sometimes referred to by the various language dialects spoken in the region, that is, the group of dialects known as Bi ...

people, and spoke the Kuninjku language. Born in 1916 in

West Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

of Australia, Marralwanga derived influence from Yirawala, a fellow artist and elder from his community. He is best known for his creation of paintings both on paper and bark. These works reflect the artistic practices of his elders and community with elements of ceremonial and spiritual creatures alongside the cross-hatching pattern known as

rarrk Bark painting is an Australian Aboriginal art form, involving painting on the interior of a strip of tree bark. This is a continuing form of artistic expression in Arnhem Land (especially among the Yolngu peoples) and other regions in the Top ...

. He continued his legacy by teaching younger artists of his region like his son, Ivan Namirrki, and nephew, John Mawurndjul. He is regarded as an inspirational painter from the region.

Career

Marralwanga began to paint relatively late during his mid 50s, starting around 1970. Under the guidance of Yirawala, Marralwanga began to incorporate ceremonial items in his works. Due to his age, he had gained permission from the clan to incorporate ceremonial elements and knowledge into the works of art . In Kuninjku art, much of the artistic content is sacred. The artists have strict guidelines on what they can depict in their works. Oftentimes artists who have special roles within a community receive exclusive rights to paint certain images. Marralwanga's use of rarrk also strayed from its original use for mortuary painting to ensure that traditional foods grow each season. He passed his knowledge of rarrk to a new generation of artists and served as an inspiration to their works. While much of Marralwanga's work was derived from the ceremony, he still added elements from his own life and experience. Marralwanga described this interaction within his work between the ceremony and his personal experience saying his works were “half secret one, half ordinary one." Marralwanga's choice to explore his own experience as well as his deep ceremonial knowledge allowed him to create a diverse body of work which depicted many figures and ceremonies.

Works

* Peter Marralwanga, Kuninjku people, Ngal-Kunburriyaymi 1982 * ''Ngalyod, the Rainbow Serpent, at Manabinbala'', 1980-81 * ''Mimih Spirit Dancing at Catfish Ceremony'', 1979 * ''Kangaroo with Headdress and Spirit Figures'', c. 1980s

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 *1991: Aboriginal Art and Spirituality *2004: Crossing Country- the Alchemy of Western Arnhem Land Art

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marralwanga, Peter 1916 births 1987 deaths 20th-century Australian artists Indigenous Australian artists Artists from the Northern Territory