BOBBY BUNUNGGURR

Taught to paint by his father, Bununggurr has developed his own unique style over the years which attracts both admirers and critics alike: He reveals the Ganalbingu totems in a new and exciting way that is highly detailed in its execution.

A song man for his group, Bununggurr toured throughout NSW and Canberra with David Gulpilil in the 1970s and 1980s. The dance group also included painters Jimmy Yanganiny (dec.1990) and Don Gundinga (dec.1990). Several of these trips were organised by then Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) project officer Joe Croft and included many Aboriginal communities in their itineraries.

In 1986 Bunungurr’s bark paintings were included in Origins, Originality, and Beyond, Biennale of Sydney at the Art Gallery of NSW. In the early 1990s he performed several times with Charlie MacMahon’s band Gondwanaland and sang on their 1994 album.

He and fellow Ramingining songmen Jimmy Djamanba and Peter Milanyga are founding members of the band Wak Wak Jungi. Wak Wak Jungi has performed in many venues around Australia and overseas, and they have released a number of CDs. Bunungurr was a highly collected artist in 1970 and early 1980s, he veered from fine art production for a time to pursue his musical career.

In the early 1980s, Bununggurr worked with Ramingining Prints, the print workshop in Ramingining until the early 1990s. During his time with Ramingining Prints, Bobby received tuition from Indigenous printmaker and artist, Lawrence Leslie.

From the early 1990s until 2010 Bunungurr was involved in a number of important Ramingining projects while still producing artworks in his uniquely detailed style. He acted in Rolf De Heer’s award-winning film Ten Canoes, and sang with the Dunganda Street Sounds, a Ramingining band that mixes high-energy dance and rock with tradition local sounds. The Dunganda Street Sounds opened both the Ramingining 2010 Bak’bididi Festival and the Darwin Festival, which also saw Bununggurr's art exhibited in the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair.