Biography

John Mawurndjul was born in 1952 in the Kubukkan freshwater country, near Marrkolidjban, Australia. This is where the Kurulk clan resides, part of the Kuninjku people. He was trained in painting by his older brother Jimmy Njiminjuma and his uncle Peter Marralwanga. Thanks to this teaching, he learned to use rarrk, a cross-hatching method specific to the Aboriginal people of northern Australia. Initially painting on small barks, Mawurndjul gained the attention of art critics when he began producing larger works.

Mawurndjul has had a major influence on the contemporary Australian art movement. His work has been featured in exhibitions around the world. In 2010 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia "for service to the preservation of Aboriginal culture as a leading exponent of the rare visual art style".

These braces have a symbolic value known only to initiates for whom they are a means of transmitting in the form of graphic code the secrets they hold. Additionally, forms of rarrk vary from tribe to tribe and are a means of clan identification.

The originality of John Mawurndjul lies in the way in which he covered the entire surface of the bark with crosspieces: usually, these are painted on a plain background, either ocher or black, or still left natural. The result is an absolutely remarkable shedding effect. 

At the opening of the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, it was chosen by Jean Nouvel to cover the ceiling of the bookstore and made the cover of Time magazine in 2006.

Collections • Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney • Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide • Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth • Artbank, Sydney • Djómi Museum, Maningrida • Musee Quai Branly Jacques Chirac, Paris • Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin • Museum of Contemporary Art, Maningrida Collection, Sydney • National Gallery of Australia, Canberra • National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne • National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney • Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra • Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane • South Australian Museum, Adelaide • Sprengel Museum in Hannovre • The Holmes a Court Collection, Perth