Collection: 'Tjungai' | Barney Ellaga
13 - 31 May 2025
Barney Ellaga was the Tjungai or cultural policeman for the Alawa people in Central Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. His position was to ensure cultural maintenance and adherence to cultural law associated with ceremony and traditional practices.
He had unsurpassed, intimate knowledge of his traditional homelands and it is this subject, ‘Alawa Country’ and the creation stories associated with it, that his work most represents.
Passing away in 2017, Barney Ellaga is considered the last of the lawmen for his people. The knowledge and position within the group is passed from father to son. As his sons predeceased him there was no one to pass this knowledge on to.
As an artist he was an accomplished colourist. His paintings are vibrant, pulsing fields which move with an almost incandescent, phosphorous quality. He used extraordinary colour compliments to portray the Alawa terrains and the ancient stories of his people.
The brush was heavily loaded from the edge of the image and slowly dissipated as he moved towards the center of the canvas. This technique created a luminous effect that has light emanating from multiple points around the canvas.
His fresh, innovative and dynamic approach gives impact and power to his imagery.
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