Historical information

Paddy Fordham Wainburranga (1932-2006)
Area: Arnhem Land
Country: Bamdibu (Bumdubu) near Bulman Station

As a child, Paddy grew up in Maningrida an Aboriginal community on the top end of the Northern Territory. He started working as a boy around cattle yards, which finally led him to working as a stockman for 20 years. Before this, he spent much of his time hunting and learning culture and customs from his father and uncles. He could remember being taken to a sacred location where he was told many Dreamtime stories of how customs came to be and why Aboriginal people practice them.

Paddy was part of the movement for equal rights for all Aborigines, actively involved in claiming Bumdibu as his traditional land for his clan. He resided over this land as Jungai (caretaker, policeman).

Paddy was taught to paint by his father but did not begin to paint seriously until the early 1970s. He was also recognized as a story teller, bark painter, sculpture, dancer, singer and musician. He was familiar with Central Arnhem Land rock and bark painting traditions; however he developed an idiosyncratic style which fused the figurative schema of western Arnhem Land with the narrative capacities of the north-east producing dense pictorial paintings divided into sequential segments.

Physical description

A suite of seven limited edition prints using the sugar lift aquatint technique.

.1) Yalk Yalk Woman
Sugar Lift Aquatint
Plate 75.0cm (H) x 49.0cm (W)
Paper 1110cm (H) x 76.0cm (W)
2003
Edition: 73/100

.2) Walga Walga
Sugar Lift Aquatint
Plate 75.0cm (H) x 49.0cm (W)
Paper 1110cm (H) x 76.0cm (W)
2003
Edition: 73/100

.3) Nammooroddoo
Sugar Lift Aquatint
Plate 75.0cm (H) x 49.0cm (W)
Paper 1110cm (H) x 76.0cm (W)
2003
Edition: 73/100
Nammooroddoo
Sugar Lift Aquatint
Plate 75.0cm (H) x 49.0cm (W)
Paper 1110cm (H) x 76.0cm (W)
2003
Edition: 73/100

.3) Nammooroddoo
Sugar Lift Aquatint
Plate 75.0cm (H) x 49.0cm (W)
Paper 1110cm (H) x 76.0cm (W)
2003
Edition: 73/100

.4) Mun Gruk Gruk Woman
Sugar Lift Aquatint
Plate 75.0cm (H) x 49.0cm (W)
Paper 1110cm (H) x 76.0cm (W)
2003
Edition: 73/100

.5 Mun Gruk Gruk Man
Sugar Lift Aquatint
Plate 75.0cm (H) x 49.0cm (W)
Paper 1110cm (H) x 76.0cm (W)
2003
Edition: 73/100

.6) Mun Gruk Gruk
Sugar Lift Aquatint
Plate 75.0cm (H) x 49.0cm (W)
Paper 1110cm (H) x 76.0cm (W)
2003
Edition: 73/100

.7) Lightning Man
Sugar Lift Aquatint
Plate 75.0cm (H) x 49.0cm (W)
Paper 1110cm (H) x 76.0cm (W)
2003
Edition: 73/100

Donated through the Australian Government Cultural Gifts Programme by Katherine N. Littlewood, 2014