Man-ngalinj is a root vegetable often described as ‘bush potato’. It’s duwa, the artist’s moiety. It has a bulbous root and a long thin vine with small flowers that grows across the ground or up the trunks of nearby trees. Large crops can be found near the artist’s outstation, Bolkdjam. Man-ngalinj are harvested after the Wet season in the early Dry
Name: David Brian
Language: Rembarrnga
Community: Maningrida
Biography:
Balang David Brian is a painter and sculptor. He is Rembarrnga and Kune and lives and works at his outstation Ankabarrbirri. Brian learned under the guidance of his parents, renowned artists Kamarrang Bob Burruwal and Godjan Lena Yarinkura. He specialises in making mako (didjeridu) and more recently bark painting. Whilst Brian has developed his own approach distinct style, the influence of his father and uncle, Les Mirrikkyriya, is evident in his colour palette and designs. Common motifs in his works include yok (bandicoot), man-ngalinj (bush potato), quicksand at Kinoedjanga, barlangu (shark) and wankurr (sacred dilly bag).
Wak Wak This painting depicts a sacred site at ‘Kurrurldul’, an outstation south of Maningrida. The ‘rarrk’, or abstract crosshatching, on this work represents the design for the crow totem ancestor called ‘Djimarr’. Today this Read more…
Wak Wak This painting depicts a sacred site at ‘Kurrurldul’, an outstation south of Maningrida. The ‘rarrk’, or abstract crosshatching, on this work represents the design for the crow totem ancestor called ‘Djimarr’. Today this Read more…
Mimih Spirit The mimih spirit exists in a realm that runs parallel to and mirrors many facets of human life, demonstrating the deep sense of time and place understood by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Read more…