Biography:
Gudu Mungula commenced painting at Mowanjum in 1998. She is a prolific artist and continues to inspire her family with stories from her traditional culture. “My grandchildren ask me about the Wandjina, about the rules. They know about it. I tell them. Callum, my grandson, he learns to paint but he doesn’t get the meaning. You need to tell them. A lot of kids ask questions when they start painting. Callum asks, ‘What colour do I have to use?’ I say you use white there. He helps other kids at school who want to know, telling them the stories. They also want to know about the past.”
As a child, Gudu lived at the Kunmunya mission, located near Camden Sound and Augustus Island in the centre of the Worrorra lands. People from this location were encouraged to visit the Wandjina painting sites, to hunt kangaroo and sea life, and to speak their languages.
In the 1950’s, Gudu moved to Wotjulum where the groups from Munja and Kummunya were combined to create a new Presbyterian Mission before moving to Derby. The new community in Derby was called Mowanjum, which means ‘settled at last'. However, another move would be imposed on the community to the current Mowanjum site.
Gudu married Allan Mungulu. Alan was the chairman for the community and was very involved in the town and the church.
Gudu and her five daughters, Sandra, Marjorie, Margaret, Mildred and Robin, all began painting at the time Mark Norval first came to Mowanjum. It was through this experience that Gudu started to talk to the older people about the Wandjina and paint her father's language of the Wandjina from the old site (the caves).
Wandjina from the coastal area is different to Ngarinyin and Wumumbul people. “Wandjina was for the tribe, stories and beliefs. It must look the same as the first Wandjinas, white and red ochre. The background could be different, but it must look the same as how it was painted in caves. Wandjina represents the whole people, creator, for everything, food and land. It was given by him. I was picturing it like a god, the head of other Wandjinas.”
“I like doing painting. I have a feeling of it, something important. I like to keep the feeling up. I tell my kids about the feeling."
“I paint my own Wandjina stories like painting the honey bee. I got permission from the older people, owners of those things. The honey bee should be black but I put maybe yellow on the back. Story is plain black but I add colour. Nobody told me. I did it on my own to do something to make it standout.” In the near future, one of Gudu's honey bee pieces will be displayed at the Perth International Airport alongside artwork by various Indigenous artists.
Gudu works with, and shares her knowledge with, all the other artists and children in the Mowanjum community, at the art centre. Gudu says “We all share. They all know their own painting. I can‘t do their Wandjinas. All people do their own.”
Gudu’s artwork has been exhibited internationally and numerous times nationally, this includes the display of her work at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Gudu is a regular exhibitor at the Mowanjum Festival and, along with her daughters, Gudu continues to sustain art practices in Mowanjum.
Group Exhibitions:
2016 Darwin Art Fair.
Kimberley Art Prize.
Mowanjum Festival.
2015 Darwin Art Fair.
Kimberley Art Prize.
Mowanjum Festival.
2014 Freshwater Cove, Wandjina Tours, Darwin Art Fair.
2013 Freshwater Cove, Wandjina Tours, Darwin Art Fair.
2012 Darwin Art Fair.
2011 Artmarket Perth part of the Commonwealth Festival.
2010 Japingka Gallery Fremantle, Mowanjum Artist new works in ochre.
2009 Mowanjum Festival – Mowanjum Art and Culture Centre, Derby
2008 Shinju Matsuri Wandjina Budda Budding – Broome 6 Gallery
2008 Mowanjum Festival – Mowanjum Art and Culture Centre
2008 Kimberley Art Prize - Derby W.A
2008 Cultural Connections - Artitja Art Gallery Perth
2008 Spirit of the Wandjina - Shinju Matsuri Exhibition Broome 6 Gallery
2007 Mowanjum Festival - Mowanjum Art and Culture Centre, Derby
2007 Arralululai - Broome 6 Gallery
2007 Mowanjum Exhibition - Woodford Dreaming Festival, QLD
2006 Spirit of the Wandjina - Governor Stirling Tower, Perth
2006 Power of the Wandjina - Macquarie University Sydney
2005 Spirit of the Wandjina - Broome 6 Gallery
2005 Keeping the Wandjinas Fresh - Exhibition and book launch - Alexander Library Perth
2005 Mowanjum Festival
2005 Mowanjum Exhibition - Festival of the Dreaming Woodford, QLD
2004 Mowanjum Exhibition - Sydney Dreaming Festival
2004 Mowanjum Festival
2003 Mowanjum Festival
2003 Spirit of the Wandjina - Harvey Bay QLD
2002 Visions from the Cave - Sun Picture Theatre, Broome
2002 Mowanjum Festival
2001 Recent Works - Melbourne Spirit of the Wandjina Gallery
2001 Mowanjum Festival
2000 The Art of the Wandjina - Sydney Olympics Exhibition, NSW
2000 Spirit of the Wandjina - Compass Travel Postonja Slovenia
2000 Mowanjum Festival
2000 Spirit of the Wandjina Exhibition - Melbourne
1999 Power of the Wandjina Telstra National Headquarters - Melbourne
1999 Recent Works - Spirit of the Wandjina Gallery, Melbourne
1999 Power of the Wandjina - Governor Stirling Tower, Perth
1999 Spirit of the Wandjina Exhibition - Governor Place, Sydney
1999 Mowanjum Festival
1998 Spirit of the Wandjina -Telstra National Headquarters, Melbourne
1998 Mowanjum Festival
1998 Mowanjum Wandjina Art – Matzo’s Broome
1998 Spirit of the Wandjina – Grosvenor Place, Sydney
1997 Mowanjum Festival
