KAYE BROWN Tiwi Artist
Aboriginal & Pacific Art is delighted to present
Kaye Brown Tiwi Artist
In association with Jilamara Arts and Crafts, Melville Island, NT
3 - 26 March 2022
Cover page: (detail) Kaye Brown, Yirrinkiripwoja,#266-21,Locally sourced ochres on stringybark,
117 x 23 cm
Yirrinkiripwoja #406-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 127 x 43 cm
“From olden days, the old people used to do minga (body markings) with stringray barb and sometimes maybe with jukwarringa (mud mussel) shell, but my father used to say that he used stringray barb. Jukwarringa shell they used to cut the babies cord. Aminayi (grandfather) used to talk to us and show us. He had two on top of his belly and he had on his arm, four each and two across his belly. Parlingarri, he used to have a stick in his nose, a long time ago. Straight through his nose, that was they old way. He used to show us, we thought it was strange but now we are trying to keep that design alive through painting. It is like culture, like the old way to the new. So, the kids will know what has been done since a long time ago. We can keep the old stories alive through our painting. They used to use jukwarringa shells to cut everything and mark themselves, with how many boyfriend or girlfriend they had. On the arm, one or two or three. How many husband and wife. Now I like painting with the comb, sometimes I use a brush and a comb, but I like using that comb. Yirrinkiripwoja means painting on the face and now for canvas and other things. And that Pwoja on the face means something. I like using that comb because it is Tiwi and it is better than using a brush to put dots.” – Kaye Brown, 2020
Image: Kaye Brown. All images copyright the artists.
Yirrinkiripwoja is an exemplary example of Kaye Brown’s mastery of the Kayimwagakimi – a hand carved wooden comb sometimes also referred to as pwoja (bone). It is a painting ‘comb’ originally used to apply short lines of dots or design to the body and face for Tiwi ceremonies based on disguising oneself from the spirits of their relatives. Carved from ironwood harvested on Melville Island, Kaye uses the comb to apply locally sourced earth pigments to the surface of bark, paper and linen.
Yirrinkiripwoja #266-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 117 x 23 cm
Yirrinkiripwoja #549-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 151 x 28 cm
Yirrinkiripwoja #390-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 159 x 23 cm
Yirrinkiripwoja #394-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 150 x 18 cm
Yirrinkiripwoja #391-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 143 x 37 cm
Yirrinkiripwoja #262-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 146 x 17 cm
Yirrinkiripwoja #265-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 118 x 20 cm
Yirrinkiripwoja #263-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 149 x 24 cm
Kulama #593-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 93 x 28 cm
Yirrinkiripwoja #594-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 91 x 20 cm
Yirrinkiripwoja #609-21 Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 106 x 14.5 cm
KAYE BROWN Biography
BORN: REGION: COUNTRY: LANGUAGE: SKIN GROUP: DANCE:
1954 Milikapiti, Melville Island Andranganoo (Goose Creek) Tiwi Scaly Mullet Tartuwali (Shark)
Kaye Brown is a senior Tiwi culture woman. She is well versed in the old ways, traditional stories and speaks the ‘hard’ Tiwi language. Kaye started painting at Jilamara Arts and Craft later in life after she retired from work. Prior to this she taught at the local primary school and worked at the library. She loves teaching culture to the local primary school children who come to Jilamara for culture classes. She has a wealth of local knowledge about Tiwi culture and the history of the Tiwi people and ancestors. She uses the Kayimwagakimi (carved ironwood comb) and natural ochres for Melville Island to paint. Her jilamara (body paint design) and pwoja (body) styles are very layered and reminiscent of some of the old Tiwi artists and the body painting styles hey used to prepare for ceremony and yoi (dance). Kaye paints on bark, canvas and paper, but is particularly drawn to painting on stringybark sourced from around Milikapiti. Although relatively new to the art centre, Kaye is gaining recognition as a leading female artist at Jilamara. She is set to have her first solo exhibition in 2020 and was a finalist in the NATSIAA Bark category in 2018. She made her first limited edition print in 2017 and also has a very successful design as part of Jilamara’s screen printed textiles line.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2022 Kaye Brown, Aboriginal Pacific Art, Sydney 2020 Yirrinkiripwoja, Aboriginal Pacific Art, Sydney
GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2021 The Women’s Show, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne 2020 TIWI, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Jilamara: circles, dots, lines, Artspace, Woolloomooloo, Sydney 2019 PUPUNI JILAMARA NGININGWULA (Our Beautiful Paintings), Double-tree by Hilton, Darwin, NT Tarnanthi Art Fair, Tandanya, Adelaide, SA 2019 Jilamara, Queenscliff Gallery and Workshop, Queenscliff, VIC turnuwa amintiya kirijipuni, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA 2018 Finalist Bark Prize, Telstra NATSIAA, MAGNET, Darwin NT Tarnanthi Art Fair, Tandanya, Adelaide, SA Nginingawula Awirankini Waki (Our New Work), Jilamara and Munupi Group exhibition, Double Tree Hilton, Darwin 2017 Ngini Parlingarri Amintiya Ningani, Collins Place Gallery, Melbourne, Mamirnikiwi Jilamara, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA Ngini Parlingarri Amintiya Ningani, Nomad Art Gallery, Darwin, NT Yirringinkiri Pwoja, Hilton Double Tree, Darwin, NT 2016 Ngawila Jilamara, Hilton Double Tree, Darwin, NT 2015 Tiwi Mamirnikuwi Jilamara: Tiwi Women Painting - The Cross Art Projects, Sydney, NSW 2015 Kuripapuranjuwi Ngini Ngawila Jilamara Kapi Ngawa Tiwi - Tiwi Show, Darwin, NT 2015 Counting Tidelines – Nan Giese Gallery, Darwin, NT 2013 Going forward - Tiwi Art Network exhibition, Darwin, NT AWARDS 2021 Finalist, Bark Prize, NATSIAA, MAGNT Darwin NT 2020 Finalist, National Works on Paper Award, Mornington Regional Gallery, VIC 2018 Finalist, Bark Prize, Telstra NATSIAA, MAGNT, Darwin NT COLLECTIONS National Gallery of Victoria Wesfarmers Collection
KAYE BROWN 3 - 26 March 2022
Aboriginal & Pacific Art, Sydney in association with Jilamara Arts and Crafts, Melville Island, NT All images and text copyright the Artist and Jilamara Arts and Crafts. Courtesy of the artist and Jilamara Arts and Crafts.
Aboriginal & Pacific Art, 1/24 Wellington Street, Waterloo, NSW, 2017 Australia Ph: +61 2 9699 2211 E: info@aboriginalpacificart.com.au W: www.aboriginalpacificart.com.au