Paddy Jaminji

Paddy Jaminji (Jampijin) (1912-1996), Kija artist, spent much of his life in and around his country near Bedford Downs station in Western Australia. A stockman in his youth, he was one of the first people to take up residence at Warmun, near Turkey Creek, a settlement that was established as many indigenous pastoral workers lost their jobs in the mid-1970s. In 1977, Jaminji was chiefly responsible for creating the paintings used in the first Kurirr Kurirr (Krill Krill) ceremony, which arose out of a dream by Rover Thomas, to whom he was a classificatory uncle. Alongside Thomas, he pioneered what is now known as the East Kimberley School of painting, often featuring big blocks of single colour, outlined with round white dots, rounded hill shapes and stylised boab trees. He usually painted on board, but sometimes used canvas and made sculptures. From the mid-1980s, as his nephew’s fame eclipsed his own, increasing blindness put a stop to Jaminji’s career. His work was exhibited in The Continuing Tradition (1989), Images of Power (1993), Aratjara (1993-4) and Roads Cross (1994), the latter a Rover Thomas retrospective at the National Gallery of Australia. The Holmes à Court Gallery, Perth, staged the retrospective Paddy Jaminji in late 2004.