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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

John Mawurndjul

2005
R. Ian Lloyd

inkjet print on paper (sheet: 51.7 cm x 60.7 cm, image: 35.3 cm x 53.0 cm)

John Mawurndjul (b. 1952) is a Kuningkju man who lives near Maningrida, home to one of the Northern Territory's oldest art centres. He is celebrated for his innovation and mastery of rarrk – a complex, yet delicate array of crosshatching drawn from the geometric body designs associated with the Mardayin ceremony. Painted using a mixture of ochre, water and glue with a brush made from fine long hairs, rarrk reflects the scared power of ancestral beings.

R Ian Lloyd took this photograph of Mawurndjul the day before the artist flew to Paris to work on a commission for the Musée du Quai Branly in 2005. The work was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in 2007 as part of a series of portraits in which Lloyd sought to highlight his artist-subjects' working environment, to invite reflection on how space affects and inspires individual creativity.

Gift of R Ian Lloyd 2010. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program.
© R Ian Lloyd/Copyright Agency, 2024

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

R. Ian Lloyd (age 52 in 2005)

John Mawurndjul AM (age 53 in 2005)

Subject professions

Visual arts and crafts

Donated by

R. Ian Lloyd (5 portraits)

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency