Wally Wilfred im Wägilak men. Im skin Wamut en im kantri Ŋilipidji, gulijap la Blue Mud Bay. Imin bon la Mountain Valley, en im femli bin futwok, ḻukudhu (la fut), dijei la Ropa en Numbulwar.
Wally imin atis la Ngukurr Arts burrum 2003. Imin migi im ounwan stail, we im mikstimap braitwan kala en longtaimwan rarrk peinting. Wally im bulurumbat im amuri Sambo Barra Barra. Im wek luk la koltja said, longtaim en didei gin. Im wek tok bla histri en stori mob.
Wally im dum peinting la olkainabala laik peipa, ŋaḏan (bak peinting) en dharpa (wadi). Imin migi adifek burrum ḏubal tri en bulgut tri. Im dum loda skolptja du, im wek gada wadi en olwan metul burrum rabish damp. Det skolptja ma im bulurum im peinting. Alabat dali stori, samtaim bla koltja en samtaim bla wani munanga mob bin dum la im pipul en kantri wen alabat bin fes gaman en bringima ola bujinbala thing laik shuga, djambaku en biya.
Wally Wilfred is a Wägilak man. His skin name is Wamut and his country is Ŋilipidji, near Blue Mud Bay. He was born at Mountain Valley, and he walked, ḻukudhu (on foot), with his family from there to Ngukurr and Numbulwar.
Since 2003, Wally Wilfred has been associated with Ngukurr Art Centre. Developing a unique style, Wally brings together traditional techniques with bold and contemporary use of colour. Continuing in the footsteps of his grandfather Sambo Barra Barra, Wally’s work explores traditional and present day culture with history and storytelling.
Wally paints on paper, ŋaḏan (bark) and dharpa (wood). He makes cultural artefacts from dubal (Leichhardt tree) and bulgut (kurrajong).
Wally is also a keen sculptor, working with wood and found objects. Wally’s sculptures continue in the same path as his paintings. They tell stories, sometimes about culture, sometimes about the effect the munanga (white fella) have had on his people and country since they first arrived with their poisons; sugar, tobacco and beer.
Archives: Artists
SAM-synced artist profiles.
Luke Djalgarrarra
Luke lives in Ngukurr community with his wife Debbie and his five young children. Luke grew up watching his father work who was a sculpture and painter on Goulburn Island. He also was taught by his his uncles on Elcho Island, also great carvers and painters. Luke started painting his own work when he was just 17, and more recently has been doing sculptures of birds and animals. His work depicts stories of country, animals and birds that he has seen out bush. What makes his work unique is the bright experimental colours and beautifully carved shapes. He loves using metallic paints, as well as leaving exposed wood on his carvings.
Karen Rogers
Main neim im Karen Rogers en mi burrum Ngukurr komyunidi. Main traib im Ngalakgan, en mi tok Kriol la kemp. Ai bin stop la Ngukurr nili main houl laif. Mi atis en printa la Ngukurr Arts.
Main gagu imin atis, en im sista mob du. Alabat bin migi mi wandi bi atis.
Sambala main atwek im bla dis kantri we ai bin grouap. Im bla mela laif la Roper en bla mela koltja. La mela koltja mela numu lau peintim melabat drimin, sou ai leigi peintim main mami en gagu drimin magurrmagurr, langgurna, ngurru en ngakngak. Wen mi dum peinting ai leigi spleinim dat stori la main biginini mob en grenkids.
Ai leigi trai difrendifren atwek laik glas wek en dijitul disain. Main feibrit im dat lainoprint, febrik print en peinting.
Ai bin dum pitja buk gada Kriol en Inggilish, im kol Main Abija. Im stori bla main memris gada main abija.
Ai bin stadi setifiket 1, 2, 3 en 4 Visual Arts la Batchelor Institute. Mi gadi fellowship bla dijitul disain burrum Artback NT. Mi lenimbat hau bla burru main atwek la kompyuda bla printim.
My name is Karen Rogers and I’m from Ngukurr Community. My tribe is Ngalakgan and I speak Kriol at home. I’ve lived in Ngukurr almost all my life. I am an artist and printer at Ngukurr Arts. My grandmother and her sisters were artists, and they inspired me to become an artist too.
My artwork often shows the country where I grew up. It’s inspired by our life in Ngukurr and our culture. In our culture we are not allowed to paint our own dreaming, so I like to paint my mother’s and grandmother’s dreamings. They are magurrmagurr (dragonfly), langgurna (magpie goose), ngurru (catfish) and ngakngak (white-breasted sea eagle). When I paint these things I like to tell their stories to my children and grandchildren.
I like to challenge myself with all kinds of different art styles, like glasswork and digital design. My favourite styles are painting, lino printing and screen printing.
I have written a picture book in Kriol and English called Main Abija, which is a story about my memories of my grandfather.
I’ve studied certificates 1, 2, 3 and 4 in Visual Arts at Batchelor Institute. I have a fellowship in digital design through Artback NT, through which I’m learning to make my artwork into digital prints.
Alan Joshua JNR
Alan Joshua Jnr lives with his wife and two children at Ngukurr. He was born in 1965. He likes to experiment with his art, always trying to find or do something different and his style represents a contemporary area of aboriginal art one which he blends with his aboriginal way of thinking as his paintings often reflect or depict, the country of his mother and grandmother.
As a young man Alan started out as a carver and then started painting onto the carvings that he made in the late 1980’s;
He didn’t start to paint onto canvas until the late 1990’s when he was older.
Benjamin Wilfred
Benjamin im Wägilak men. Imin bon la Numbulwar en imin grouap lenimbat koltja la im gagu kantri la Wurrungguyuna. Im femili bin wok la Ropa.
Imin oldei luk im femili peintimbat en imin wandim len du. La Ropa imin jidan garra ola olpipul laik Djambu Barra Barra en imin stat peintimbat en migimbat jamalak, hololog en bambu. Na im leigim dum olkain difrendifren ting la at senta en im olweis lenimbat en traiyimbat nyuwan ting.
Benjamin im koltja men du en im trabil ebriweya dumbat Bunggul la ola seremoni and fyunil.
Benjamin is a Wägilak man. He was born in Numbulwar and he grew up learning culture on his maternal grandmother’s Country, Walker River. His family walked to Ngukurr.
He would watch his family painting all day and he wanted to learn too. In Ngukurr he would watch the old people like Sambo Burra Burra paint and so he started painting and making clapsticks, hollow logs and didgeridoos. Now he likes to do all sorts of different things at the art centre and he is always learning and trying new things.
Benjamin is a cultural man too and he travels everywhere doing Bunggul at ceremonies and funerals.
Patrick Ngalmi
Patrick Ngalmi was born in 1975 in Numbulwar, Northern Territory, and later moved to Ngukurr, where he lives and works. He began painting as a young man and has developed his practice through experience and community support.
Patrick is inspired by his connection to Country, especially the sea, rivers, and animals. His paintings often show marine life, hunting scenes, and stories from everyday life. Through his work, he shares his knowledge, memories, and respect for the natural environment.
Art is an important part of Patrick’s life and culture. He continues to paint regularly and contribute to the Ngukurr Arts community.
Rebecca Joshua
Jill Daniels
Jill Daniels Biography
Born 13/07/1959
I was thinking about painting in 2003, and I came to the Art Centre to start painting then. I didn’t know how to paint, but my sister Amy taught me how to paint when I came to the Art Centre. I saw how she was doing the painting, and I started learning then, how to paint. I got some style from her, but after that I got my own style, different way. I got my own style then.
I had a little break and I tried other jobs, but I didn’t like them so I came back to Art Centre. It’s a good job – sitting, doing paintings, cleaning. I was born here at Ngukurr, right next to the old clinic. I didn’t do high school, I got a job straight out of primary school. I worked as a health worker before, but I finished. Resigned. I worked as a ranger, then after I worked at the school. From there I was a cleaner at the office. Now I am an artist and work at the Art Centre.
Marlene Andrews
Marlene grew up in Ngukurr and has spent all of her life here. She is an Alawa woman and her skin is Birlinjan. She has spent her working career educating young children, as a bible teacher at Nunggalinya College and as a Kriol translator. She likes to read books and sing and is a natural storyteller. She comes from a family of painters and has recently started making her own art. Her inspiration is drawn from nature and she enjoys the process of translating the beauty of nature onto canvas.
Bruce Wilfred
Bruce bin bon la Numbulwar en im skin im Burlany. Imin gaman la Ropa gada im femili en dei bin libum im gada im bigwan sista en braja. Dei bin gaman mijamit en imin wandi faindim job.
Bla im abija en gagu, dubala bin artist du. Dei bin meigim baskit and dumbat bak peinting. Imin wandim bulurum hau dubala bin wek en imin wandim peintim koltja said du. Imin gaman la at senta bla dum lagijat.
Bruce wek gada bafalou hon en im meigim loda irring. Det rarrk stail im yusumbat im bla im dedi en amuri. Dei bin yusum det longtaimwan rarrk ba peintim alabat feis en im ba alabat na.
Im tok weking gada bafalou im brabligudwan en im leigim im job.
Bruce was born in Numbulwar and his skin is Burlany. He came to Ngukurr with his family and they left him with his older sister and brother. They came together, and he wanted to find a job.
Bruce’s grandmother and grandfather were artists who made traditional baskets and did bark paintings. He wanted to follow in their footsteps and paint their traditional culture. Ngukurr Art Centre was where he was able to do that.
Bruce works with buffalo horn to make earrings. The style he uses comes from his dad and grandfather, from the traditional ‘rarrk’ style they used to paint their faces during ceremonies. It belongs to them.
He thinks that working with buffalo horn is great and he loves his job.