Title

Ngamandara, Terry.

Author

Australian Art Print Network.

Source

[Not applicable]

Publication date

2001

Type

Biography

Language

English

Country of context

Australia

Full text

Terry Ngamandara

Terry Ngamandara was born in a bush camp outside of Darwin. Shortly after his birth his family returned to their clan country near the Cadell River in western Arnhem Land, close to the large swamp, Barlparnarra. Here, Ngamandara became immersed in the religion and culture of his own people, the Girnimba and Garramirra, and was fully trained under traditional men’s law in the designs for totems.

Barlparnarra is a complex of important sacred sites for the Jowanga moiety group through central Arnhem Land. It is associated with the creation myth of the two sisters commonly known as Djangkawu, however, in the Barlparnarra version they are called Murlurlu. Many Dreaming tracks of mythological beings associated with the two sisters converge at this site, and, ceremonies which celebrate their journeys are still held there. Ngamandara is senior custodian of these clans.

One of the key emblems of the artist’s clan is gulach — the spike rush that dominates the Barlparnarra swamp country. The emblem always appears as triangular motif. This spike rush also forms a food source for magpie geese, a key swamp animal and totem.

The artists’ design is also used as body decoration during funeral ceremonies where it is painted on the body of deceased clan member just prior to burial.

Before taking up bark painting, Ngamandara spent time in the nearby Aboriginal community of Maningrida, where he did construction and forestry work as well as labouring in fishing enterprises. This technical training assisted him when he later turned to art under the tutelage of the senior artist England Bangala.

In the art of central Arnhem Land new conventions are constantly evolving. This is borne out by Ngamandarra’s work as he creates landscapes of singular purity of form, using strong black lines to cut superimposed multiple plants, reduced to triangles and rectangles, which float in rhythms of ordered geometry. The rarrk (cross-hatching) is one directional and suggests flat grassy plains country near Gochan jiny-jirra where the artist lives.

Biography courtesy of The Australian Art Print Network, 2001.

© Australianprints