YIRAWALA MBE
1903-1976, AustraliaYirawala was born at the mouth of the Liverpool River in the Marrkolidjban region of West Arnhem Land, where he spent his formative years living in the bush. After a brief time residing at the mission at Kunbarlanja – Oenpelli, he moved north to Minjilang, Croker Island. At Minjilang, he worked among a group of artists including Jimmy Midjawmidjaw, Paddy Compass Namadbara and January Nangunyari-Namiridali, all of whom attracted the interest of the artist and important collector Karel Kupka.
In 1964, Yirawala met Sandra Le Brun Holmes, who was on Minjilang documenting ceremonial songs and stories for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. Holmes continued to work with Yirawala, purchasing works and documenting his stories. With her assistance, he had a solo exhibition in 1971 at the University of Sydney, which then toured to the South Australian Museum, Adelaide, and the Melbourne Museum. Holmes directed two films on Yirawala: Return to the Dreaming, 1971, and Yirawala: The Picasso of Arnhemland, 1982. She also wrote two books: Yirawala: Artist and Man, 1972, and Yirawala: Painter of the Dreaming, 1992.
Yirawala was a key advocate for the land rights movement and fought for many years to reclaim ownership of his Country at Marrkolidjban and to prevent mining on Kunwinjku lands. In 1971, he was awarded an MBE for services to Aboriginal art and also received the International Cooperation Art Prize.
Yirawala is a towering figure in the history of Australian bark painting; his paintings and sculptures are held in almost every major collecting institution in Australia. Yirawala died in 1976, only months before the Northern Territory Land Rights Act was passed.
Luke Scholes, D Lan Galleries
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