ABORIGINAL DESERT ART  GALLERY

OLD MICK NAMARARI

Born around 1926, at Marnpi in the sandhill country south west of Mt Rennie. Mick lived a traditional nomadic lifestyle first seeing white man around the age of 6.

For the next ten years his family settled around the area of Hermannsburg /Haasts Bluff area.

Mick was initiated at Areyonga and later worked as a stockman at various stations including Tempe Downs and Areyonga.

Mick was one of the original group of painters when Geoffrey Bardon arrived at Papunya in the early seventies, and would paint on anything he could lay his hands on - his passion to paint was so strong.

Mick traveled to Sydney with Geoffrey Bardon for the making of his film Mick and the moon, which was about the life of Old Mick and his artwork. When Kintore was established in the eighties, Mick was one of the few Pintupi men who stayed on at Papunya.

At this time he was a very prolific artist. Later Mick established an outstation on his traditional lands named Nyunmanu.

He currently lives at Njutulnya with his wife Elizabeth. A senior lawman, Mick paints his Dreamings Kangaroo, Dingo, Water, Mingajurra (Wild Bandicoot). In recent years his work has increasingly explored new directions, and remains ever afresh, even after 25 years of producing artworks.

He won the 1991 Aboriginal Art award.

Collections:

Art Gallery of SA,
National Gallery of Victoria,
Australian Museum, Holmes à Court,
Michael Hollow Collection,
Queensland Art Gallery,
Art Gallery of WA,
Museums and Art Galleries NT,
Flinders University,
National Gallery Canberra

The Tingarri stories recount the creation-time travel of a particular, important group of elders who taught ritual knowledge to initiates.

This painting depicts designs associated with the secret-sacred Tingari ceremonies.

Generally, the Tingarri are a group of mythical characters of the Dreaming, who travelled over vast stretches of the country, performing rituals, creating and shaping particular sites.

The Tingarri men are usually followed by Tingarri women and accompanied by novices and their travel and adventures are enshrined in a number of song cycles.

These mythologies form part of the teaching of the post initiate youths as well as providing explanations for contemporary customs.

Due to the secret and sacred elements, no further information may be obtained.

MAN'S DREAMING

This particular painting shows us the travels of two ( Dingo ) men from a place called Mt Allan (Yuelamu) to Kirwirkurra. This is a journey that is both over time as well as space. The two squares show us specific events that are of spiritual importance to these men and the travel lines show the journey, as well as the fact that these places or events are of an archaic nature in that they have been experienced over many, many years.