Gabriel Maralngurra

Gabriel is inspired by the rock art galleries around West Arnhem Land which are often densely layered with paintings. Rock art painting is a tradition which has been dated back to at least 45,000 years before the present. Gabriel has an encyclopaedic knowledge of rock art and has depicted Mimih spirits of various styles, fresh water animals, a contact period ship and rifle. In this painting, Gabriel has encapsulated the history of West Arnhem Land, not as a linear timeline but as an overlapping and continuous story. He says: “First I was watching my uncle Thompson Yulidjirri doing painting in rock art style. When I was a young fella he took me up the hill for the first time. We were going up the hill and he was showing me the rock art in the similar cross hatching style that we’re doing but different. I was also learning from my father in law, Lofty Nadjamerrek, who is also a famous artist. I used to see them both painting here on at Injalak Arts
where I paint and back home. I used to see Lofty paint at the house and that’s how I learnt how to paint. I learnt the dreamtime stories. I became more interested in painting cross hatching and x-ray style like the rock art.
Today, I am mentoring and teaching the young ones how to do the traditional West Arnhem Land painting style. I am always happy to see the rock art painting style. It’s good for balanda to see rock art style on paper and on bark. They go up Injalak hill, they see x-ray painting and that’s what we paint still today.
Our people started painting with single hatching. Afterwards they started painting cross hatching. It makes it look really good but it’s still x-ray style. That’s the way for me. X-ray style is important, it shows the anatomy; heart, liver, lungs.It’s about what’s inside the animal’s body. I like painting both styles, cross hatching and x-ray style and merging both to create my new style. I put the background and then build up layers of lines, overlapping on top of each other and combining like rock art galleries. Sometimes I paint on both layers and it comes through. I get ideas from my imagination and from the rock art to make my designs. I want people to feel the spirits and the elders who were doing those styles
when they look at my paintings. I want them to feel and touch how it was done, to see the past continuing in the present.”