MARS Gallery, Melbourne

MARS presents new work by three artists from Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association a remote Indigenous art centre in Milikapiti, Tiwi Islands. Three Tiwi artists, Chris Black, Columbiere Tipungwuti and Michelle Woody Minnapinni utilise traditional ochres in their own unique style to explore aspects of their culture and country.     Chris Kojak Black is establishing himself as a Tiwi artist with a unique approach to painting with locally sourced natural earth pigments from Melville Island. “I like to paint, it is interesting and my aminya (grandfather) used to paint – Black Joe. He was naganari (magpie goose) and tartuwali (shark) – he had two totems. That’s why I like to paint the totems. The buffalo, jarranga I paint represents the Northern Territory and my stepfather. I paint Tiwi animal totems that we all dance at ceremony and my own style of jilamara (body paint design).   While being a nomadic presence all over the Tiwi Islands for many years, Columbiere Tipungwuti has in more recent history settled into a strong painting practice at Jilamara Arts and Crafts. He is a celebrated dancer at ceremonies and brings both this and a strong knowledge of Tiwi language, cultural and visual storytelling to his art. In more recent years he has focussed on painting figurative representations of Japarra – the Mooman who is a central character in the Tiwi creation story.   Michelle Woody Minnapinni’s painterly forms are reminiscent of elements of the iconic Tiwi Murrakuupupuni (Country). These include winga (salt water), makatinga (flowing fresh water) and where the two meet…