Clan

Dhaḻwaŋu

Artist Dates

1952-2018

Nawurapu Wunuŋmurra

Nawurapu Wunuŋmurra was the eldest son of Yaŋgarriny Wunuŋmurra and learnt to paint assisting his father. In the 1990s he participated in all the major group projects from Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka, including the 1996 John W. Kluge Commission. A 1995 work by Nawurapu, now held in the Queensland Art Gallery caused controversy among Yolŋu leaders for its absence of figurative imagery, paving the way for the Buwayak movement. In the 2000s, he became renowned as a sculptor and his distinctive mokuy are held in numerous museum collections. In 2009 he was included in the Moscow Biennale and in 2010 he was awarded the inaugural new media prize at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. Nawurapu travelled to Makassar in 2015 and a batik from one of his paintings was presented to the Textile Museum in Jakarta.