Work

The audience and the message: Nayombolmi’s bark paintings from western Arnhem Land, Australia

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The Aboriginal Badmardi artist Nayombolmi (c.1895-1967) is mostly known for his extensive rock art creations.In this article, we compile and present 17 bark paintings attributed to Nayombolmi.We picture the artist's life and engagement with art collectors and tourists, especially his long-term relationship with Dorothy Bennett and her son Lance.Known artworks created on stone and bark are compared regarding painted subject matters.Our findings reveal that artworks in the stone media are more varied and mainly created for his closest family and kin, while the bark paintings created for the growing art market are found to be more homogenous.It is argued that the artist's audiences and the social context of creating the art had a major impact on what motifs Nayombolmi painted.

Source: Aboriginal History Journal

DOI: 10.22459/ah.47.2023.01

Authors: Joakim Goldhahn, Sally K. May, Jeffrey Lee

Institution: Australian National University

Language: English

Topic: Australian Indigenous Culture and History

Subfield: Anthropology

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Australian Research Council

Awards: Art at a crossroads: Aboriginal responses to contact in northern Australia, Painting Country: the life and legacy of western Arnhem Land rock painters