Description
Namarrkon, the Lightning Spirit/Being, is an important ancestral being in the mythology of the First Nations people of Central and Western Arnhem Land. This spirit helped create the country during Djang (ancestral creation period, often referred to as ‘dreaming’). Namarrkon creates thunder by throwing stone axes down onto the earth. These axes can be seen protruding from various parts of his body, particularly the joints. An arc of lightning encircles his body. Namarrkon is especially active during December, when the season of Kunumeleng is characterised by spectacular pre-monsoon storms and then from January to March during Kudjewk, the ‘wet’ season in northern Australia. Namarrkon is also a guardian of the laws.
Kunwinjku art is part of the oldest continuous art tradition in the world. Ancestors of today’s artists have been painting the rock walls of West Arnhem Land for tens of thousands of years. The traditional palette of white, red, yellow and black comes from the ochre that naturally occurs in the region, although contemporary artists sometimes choose to paint in acrylics as well. Kunwinjku artists famously paint using either the traditional rarrk hatching technique, or the more contemporary and complex cross hatching technique which has been adapted from ceremonial painting. These lines are carefully painted using a manyilk, which is a piece of sedge grass shaved down until only a few fibres remain.
The artist
- Artist skin name: Nakangila
- Clan: Djalama
- Born: 1985
- Language group: Bininj-Kunwok
- Community: Gunbalanya (Oenpelli)
- Year created: 2023
- Artwork certificate provided
Jabis Nganjmirra is the son of the late prominent artist Robin Nganjmirra and the late weaver Clara Nganjmirra, née Djorlom. He is quickly developing a reputation as one of the up-and-coming artists of Injalak Arts. His paintings are known for their strong design qualities, balancing a sense of overall pattern with subtle asymmetries which enhance their overall composition. His linework is precise and confident, often combining parallel rarrk (hatching) with crosshatching for visual effect. Jabis Nganjmirra gravitates towards water scenes, which suit his flowing style and reflect his freshwater heritage and Kunwinjku fishing and hunting traditions. With their abundance of overlapping and intertwined billabong life, often in the West Arnhem “x-ray” style, his paintings are sometimes reminiscent of the rock art of Injalak Hill. Jabis paints a range of subjects, including his Dreaming of Yawkyawk or female water spirits from his country at Marlwon. He is part of a younger generation of artists in Gunbalanya whose works are characterised by visual innovation and a strong aesthetic sense.
