Jilamara

In 1969 one of the first art centres in any remote Australian Aboriginal community was established on Bathurst Island, one of the Tiwi Islands to the north of Darwin. Artists were trained in design, pottery and printmaking, and artists from throughout the Tiwi group have been consistently acclaimed over the four decades since. Brian Farmer was involved in painting for ceremony from the 1980s onward but only began working commercially as an artist in 2004. He is one of a group from Melville Island working with jilamara designs, painted on the body for initiation, fertility, and mortuary ceremonies. While all work produced by the group derives from a shared tradition, each artist's interpretation is personal, and Farmer's are at a remove from some of the more customary designs. This work is a strong representation of the undiminished talent of Tiwi printmakers. This acquisition was presented by the Art Fund and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.