Nawurapu Wununmurra

Nawurapu's moiety was Yirritja. His clan was Dhalwangu, Narrkala group and homeland was Gurrumuru, NT. His father was the great Yanggarriny Wunungmurra, who was one of the artists of the legendary Yirrkala Church Panels. He also won the 1997 NATSIAA and was the first Aboriginal artist to have his copyright recognized in an Australian court. From an early age Nawurapu assisted his father until his own cultural authority increased, and he began to practice in his own right.

His father was also one of the senior Yirritja moiety elders. After his passing, Nawurapu stepped into this senior role with his brothers. With so many ceremonial responsibilities, he moved between the homeland centres of the Miwatj region, North East Arnhem land and even beyond into Central Arnhem land.

Despite his considerable responsibilities, he was also involved in all the major group projects from the art centre in Yirrkala through the 1990's. In 2004, he had his first solo show at GrantPirrie Gallery in Sydney.

But it was his sculptural works that really caught the attention of the art world, and he made his first big impact at the Bitpit exhibition at Raft Artspace in 2008. His set of Mokuy figures, which are depictions of a ghost or sinister spirit of a deceased person, were acquired by the Queensland Art Gallery.

In the same year he was included in the major show 'Optimisim' at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art in 2008. In 2010 his haunting mixed media work 'Mokuy' took out first prize in two categories in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. In 2018 he was a finalist in the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Despite having a major injury in 2013 which resulted in the amputation of his right foot and leg below the knee, it did not diminish his strength or vigour. He maintained an incredible output of work and his extensive exhibition history is testament to this.

He travelled to Makassar in 2015 and a batik from one of his paintings was presented to the Textile Museum in Jakarta. Thirty-six of his Mokuy sculptures were acquired by the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
His sculptures also featured in the Tarnanthi exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia in late 2017. A posthumous exhibition of his sculpture was installed at Fondation Opale in Switzerland in 2021.

Nawurapu passed away in 2018. His friends described his as firm, proud, intelligent but always humble, peaceful and shy. He left an indelible mark in the artworld and to those who knew him personally.


Copyright Kate Owen Gallery, October 2024