TIMOTHY COOK & KAYE BROWN: Tiwi Artists
TIMOTHY COOK & KAYE BROWN
Tiwi
Artists
7 August - 7 September, 2024
Presented by Aboriginal & Pacific Art in association with Jilamara Arts & Crafts, Melville Island, NT.
Cover page: Timothy Cook, Kulama #144-24, locally sourced ochres on linen, 120 x 120 cm
Natural ochres on linen
150 x 120 cm
Timothy Cook
Kulama #153-21
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.
Locally sourced ochre on stringybark 90 x 57 cm
Kaye Brown
Yirrinkiripwoja
#217-24
Kulama #117-24
Locally sourced ochres on canvas 120 x 120 cm
Timothy Cook
Kulama is the Tiwi coming of age ceremony often depicted by Timothy Cook in his paintings, expressed in his unmistakable style of loose, gestural circles that symbolize the moon, yam and ritual circles amongst the pwanga (dots) that represent the japalinga (stars). The Kulama ceremony is performed late in the wet season during the harvest of wild yam when a ring appears around the Japarra (moon). During the ceremony elders sing and call out to the ancestors for three days, welcoming children into adulthood.
Locally sourced ochre on stringybark 116 x 60 cm
Kaye Brown
Yirrinkiripwoja #142-24
Brown Yirrinkiripwoja #175-24
Locally sourced ochres on stringybark 117 x 46 cm
Kaye
Locally sourced ochres on linen
120 x 120 cm
Timothy Cook
Kulama #144-24
“I like painting for culture way - Kulama - that means painting culture. We teach culture. Kulama also mean yam - they eat that one, they get it from the ground and eat it. Kulama is ceremony where they yoi (dance).”
- Timothy Cook
“I will take a painting to heaven so my mother will recognise me.”
– Timothy Cook
Locally sourced ochre on linen
150 x 120 cm
Timothy Cook Kulama #230-20
‘All the moons are here, past and present like our ancestors. They exist. I can talk to them like they are here now.
Japarra, known also as the moon man, went to live on the moon when the Tiwi people were immortalised after Dreamtime.
I can see Japarra in the sky and in the sea too when there is a reflection.’
– Timothy Cook 2018
Image: Timothy Cook, 2024. All images copyright the artists.
Locally sourced ochre on stringybark 100 x 32 cm
Kaye Brown
Yirrinkiripwoja #84-24
Locally sourced ochre on stringybark 113 x 27 cm
Kaye Brown Yirrinkiripwoja #5-24
“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.
Timothy Cook
Kulama #487-21
Natural ochres on linen 90 x 90 cm
TIMOTHY COOK & KAYE BROWN: TIWI ARTISTS
7 August - 7 September, 2024
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