Western Arnhemland. 1993

The gates of Paradise; the Gunbalyana Sports and Social Club at closing time.
The East Alligator River marks the border between Arnhemland and the world. You need a Government issued permit to enter. The deep muddy banks with the annual monsoonal floods ensured that geography supported the leglislation. Oil on board.
Card players below ripe mangoes. Excluded from participation in either the customary or mainstream economy ther is not much to do but gamble in the shade until the club opens.
Mamadewerre Outstation. Ruth and Charlies house. Oil on board. 60x5 cm. The shelter is to keep the fireplace dry. The high shelves stop the camp dogs from stealing food.
The broken house. Injalak in the background. This hill is like broken books piled high. The overhangs and corners provide shelter from the weather in all directions. There are paintings upon paintings on the rock. Like the people at Mijijimaya, these artists were not manufacturing a product for sale. However I was then employed to in a government funded art dealership.
One day a Swiss collector rang up, Frank Beat Keller. He wanted arework dealing with sickness.There was nothing like that being created however I had been reading Berndt's collected Kunwinjku stories and there was one dealing with this issue. So I read this story out to the men I was working with and one of the senior one, Thompson Yuildjirri started drawing out Mimi figures on the concrete. We photographed these images and sent them off to Frank.
He rang up and was very excited and the painting began. A demand for these images suddenly emerged locally and many versions were done and are in collections around the world.


Leaving Mijijimaya stung. I'll go back to visit sometime. Living in Oenpelli, a government created encampment that I hope these images describe, was a shock.
This is the road there. A red scar through the trees.