Title

Nadjamerrek, Lofty.

Author

Australian Art Print Network.

Source

[Not applicable]

Publication date

2001

Type

Biography

Language

English

Country of context

Australia

Full text

Lofty Nadjamerrek

Lofty Nadjamerrek began his art career as a youth, painting on rocks in the region of the headwaters of the Liverpool river, south of Maningrida in the Northern Territory. He has excelled in bark painting over a period of at least thirty years and now at Gunbalanya also produces work on paper of exceptional quality. He is one of the foremost exponents of the x-ray style of painting of the region. His rock paintings of a kangaroo, emu, goats, and a horse and rider survive in shelters at Kodwalehwaleh in the Djordi clan estate. As opposed to many other artists in western Arnhem Land, who now make use of multi coloured cross-hatching to infill their works, Nadjamerrek prefers to use x-ray details in association with parallel line hatching in red – a feature of his rock country heritage. Nadjamerrek was initiated to the full complement of western Arnhem Land ceremonies and is now widely recognised as a leader in a number of them.

He began painting for the market at Oenpelli in 1969. His works depict in intricate detail a wide variety of different animal species and more lately, in the works on paper, tableaux of the major western Arnhem Land ceremonies. Nadjamerrek is particularly well known for his images of Yingarna and Ngalyod the rainbow serpents and the paintings emphasise the transformational powers of these beings. A commissioned mural of the subject adorns the foyer of Darwin Ariport. In 1992 Nadjamerrek was commissioned to produce a painting for use on the Australian 40 cent stamp.

His work has toured nationally and internationally and is held in several prestigious collections both in Australia and overseas.

Biography courtesy of the Australian Art Print Network, 2001.

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