Biography:
Lindsay Malay is a Gija man. His grandfather's country is on Corolla Cattle Station (Old Bedford Downs) and his grandmother's country is Yulumbu (Tableland Station), Warlawoon Country. He was born in Wyndham and grew up on Bedford Downs Cattle Station and in Halls Creek, and now lives in the Warmun Community.
His Grandfather, Sally Malay, had 12 children. Sally raised the children and his 4 grandchildren on Bedford Downs Station before moving in to Halls Creek where he worked as a baker to support his family.
Lindsay returned to station life at the age of 13, working as a stockman on Bedford Downs with his eldest brother. His mother passed away when he was 16 and he looked after himself from that time - working on Bedford Downs and Lissadell Stations in the Kimberley, and on Bunda Station in the Northern Territory.
In 1993 Lindsay moved to Melbourne for 2 years before returning to Derby where he started a family. Lindsay's first daughter was born in 1996. Lindsay since raised 6 more children with Marika Riley. Having his own family is one of Lindsay's greatest joy's in life.
Lindsay returned to his ancestral country, living and working around Tableland Station and Mornington for 8 years while his family fought to reclaim their land.
In 2010, his family won back their country - Warlawoon - which was broken off from the Yulumbu pastoral lease. Lindsay has inherited this country from his Grandmother. Rammey Ramsey, one of Warmun Art Cetnre's senior artists, is the only remaining Elder from Warlawoon country.
In 2012 Lindsay and family returned to Victoria to support their son, Sally, who was following a career in rodeo, and it was around this time Lindsay started painting because he was missing his home in the Kimberley.
He now lives and paints in Warmun. Lindsay is one of Warmun Art Centres very keen and engaged emerging artists and Studio Assistant.
Lindsay connects with his Grandmother and Grandfather's country through his own painting and work assisting the elder artists.
His artistic achievements include, as a debutant, being featured in a special exhibition "When The Sky Fell - Legacies of the 1967 Referendum" curated by Clothilde Bullen and held at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art in 2017. The exhibition told stories through the eyes of Indigenous artists about station life, and how the Australian vote in the '67 Referendum favouring wages for Indigenous people resulted in many of the pastoral workers and stockmen walking off the stations or being let off their jobs when the station owners refused to remunerate the people.
Lindsay's other achievements include landing a spot in the Salon des Refuses for the 2016 Telstra NATSIAA, being exhibited as a "Revealed" artist at the Fremantle Art Centre in 2017, and being twice shortlisted as a finalist in the Hedland Art Awards in 2017 and 2018.
He continues to rise, gaining steady recognition for his dedication and ambition in his practice, notably through upcoming solo shows (in 2019) and being featured as a Warmun artist in the landmark Desert River Sea exhibition at the Art Gallery of WA.
