__NOTOC__ Ginger Riley Munduwalawala (1936 – 1 September 2002) was an Aboriginal Australian contemporary artist. He was born in South East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia in the Limmen Bight area, 45 kilometers inland from the Gulf of Carpentaria coast. Riley was of the Marra people, with ties to other language groups in the Ngukurr region due to the Mission's inter-clan settlement. His first language was Marra,Ryan, J., Riley, G., & National Gallery of Victoria. (1997). Ginger Riley. Melbourne: National Gallery of Victoria. now critically endangered.
Riley was known for his distinctive landscape style and daring use of bright acrylic colors to paint the land surrounding the Limmen Bight River, situated along the Gulf of Carpentaria coast southeast of Arnhem Land—and the mythological figures who created the region.Ginger Riley , by Grace and Tamara This region is Riley's mother's land, of which he served as its guardian/custodian. Adhering to Marra customs, Riley was not allowed to portray the Dreamings, or ancestral stories from his father's Marra land and therefore stuck to the song lines on his matrilineal side. The landscape of Ginger Riley's mother country includes coastal saltwater that enters the Limmen Bight River, passes through mudflats and Marra territory, and finally reaches the ravine in the middle of the Four Archers – Gurrialadagauwulu.
Riley's use of color sets him apart from many Aboriginal artists in Arnhem Land. By painting with acrylic paints on canvas, he diverged from the conventions of the more traditional Aboriginal art, restricted to natural materials sourced from the land, such as bark and ochre pigments. On his use of light and color, Riley has said "I have to see it, it mist be bright." Riley's distinctive landscapes and bright, brilliant colors defied categorization and challenged stereotypes about what represented 'authentic' Aboriginal art. His art can be seen as a fusion of 'Aboriginal' and 'contemporary.'
Through Riley's portrayal of the landscape, he tells a story of its creation and the mythical events that the Marra people believe shaped the country. Despite taking a Western perspective in his landscapes, his art still draws on spiritual traditions and places emphasis on the intimate relationship his people have with the country that surrounds them. His work is often cited in discussions about the emergence of contemporary Aboriginal art and its resistance to binary classifications like "urban" vs. "traditional.". His work exemplifies what curator Judith Ryan called a "synthesis of traditional Aboriginal thought and contemporary personal vision."
In 2002, the Australian expressionist and Riley's longterm friend David Larwill, gave Riley the moniker "The Boss of Colour," while he was nearing the end of his life due to lung cancer.Ginger Riley, the 'boss of colour', dies, by Larissa Dubecki, 3 September 2002 The story goes that Larwill visited Riley in Melbourne, and greeted him with the words, "Ginger Riley, the boss of colour," highlighting Riley's accomplished skill of painting with radiant colors.
Riley was awarded the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 1987, the Northern Territory's Alice Prize in 1992, John McCaughey Memorial Art Prize in 1993, the first National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Art Award in 1993 and an Australia Council Fellowship for 1997/98. He was also in the Top 100 Aboriginal Artists by sales value.Fry, Tim R. L.. "Heterogeneity In Auction Price Distributions for Australian Indigenous Artists." Economic Record, vol. 96, no. 313, 1 Jun. 2020, pp. 177 - 186, doi.org/10.1111/1475-4932.12535.
His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including at the 4th, 9th, 10th and 11th National Aboriginal Art Award, the 12th Telstra National Aboriginal Art Award, and the 13th and 14th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
The National Gallery of Victoria held a 10-year retrospective of his work in 1997, titled Mother Country in Mind: The Art of Ginger Riley Munduwalawala. It was the first time a public institution in Australia honored a living Aboriginal artist in this way.Ginger Riley Munduwalawala, Biography, National Gallery of Victoria
He developed a unique artistic style to honor and depict the landscape of Southeast Arnhem Land, for which he is the djungkayi (caretaker) and now holds native title. In July 2000, the Federal Court of Australia recognized native title rights in this region, affirming Riley's right to live on his ancestral land as a traditional owner and caretaker, further developing his artwork.CUTHBERT, DENISE, CHERYL EARNSHAW, SUSAN LOWISH, STEPHEN PRITCHARD and CERIDWEN SPARK. "15 Aboriginal Identity, Culture and Art." Year's Work In Critical & Cultural Theory, vol. 11, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2003, pp. 227 - 266, doi.org/10.1093/ywcct/mbg015.
Early life and influences Ginger Riley was born c.1936 in Marra Country, in South-Eastern Arnhem Land near Ngukurr, the former territory of the Roper River Mission. In the 1950s, Riley began working as a stockman and laborer on the Nutwood Downs Station and other establishments in the Northern Territory. Riley held a number of jobs before his painting career including his work as a police warden at Larrimah, a school groundsman in Darwin, a general maintenance worker for the Numbulwar Council and as a cleaner for Gemco mines at Groot Eylandt.
During his time as a stockman, Riley met the renowned Western Aranda watercolorist, Albert Namatjira, whose art was among the first to be exhibited by an Aboriginal. This encounter left a profound impact on Riley, eventually prompting him to explore painting with acrylics three decades later. After work declined in the late 1970s following the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, he moved back to Ngukurr and began painting round 1986–87, quickly finding his style as a landscape painter. Riley utilized Namatjira's influence by recognizing the possibilities within different artistic styles. He integrated elements of Modernism and other inspirations into his traditional art. Through his artwork, Riley showcased various perspectives on Aboriginal art. One key aspect of this evolution was his exceptional use of color. Namatjira's colorful work inspired Riley to capture the colors of his mother's land, which he referred to as 'color country.' Riley has said he "saw Namatjira painting his color country," planting the seed that the colors of his mother's land that he sees in his mind can be captured and represented artistically. Upon his return home, Riley attempted to paint, yet the earthy ochre colors he used proved to be unsatisfactory in depicting the colors he saw in his imagination, leading Riley to work with acrylic paints later on.
In 1987, the Northern Territory Education Department established painting workshops in an old hospital in Ngukurr, where Riley had been residing since the late-1970s. These workshops provided access to acrylic paints and served as the catalyst for Riley's distinguished career. The art center, named "Beat Street," became a hub for extraordinary creative paintings in its first year. Alongside fellow Ngukurr artists Willie Gudabi and Djambu Barra Barra, Riley entered the Aboriginal art scene and quickly gained acclaim for his colorful landscapes and mythic narratives.
The artists working alongside Ginger Riley in Ngukurr reflected the diversity of the region traced back to the establishment of the Roper River Mission in 1908. The significant historical migration to the Roper River Mission played a pivotal role in shaping the unique style and thematic focus of art from the region. The Roper River Mission (Ngukurr) brought together diverse Aboriginal clans, creating a melting pot of artistic traditions in Ngukurr. The mission brought together clans from the surrounding regions, comprising 8 different language groups. The budding artists in Ngukurr drew upon their different stylistic traditions and iconography combined with the development of their individual creative styles.
After painting seriously for about seven years, Riley traveled to London in 1993 for the Aratjara Aboriginal art exhibition. During this visit, he saw works by Picasso and Van Gogh for the first time at the Tate Gallery and the National Gallery. Riley began signing his paintings following this visit to London where he saw signed artworks by Picasso and other artists.Tony Stephens. Ginger Riley's name and photograph are used with permission.. "The Boss of Colour Made His Land Sing." Sydney Morning Herald, The, 5 Sep. 2002, pp. 28 - 27.
In 1999, Riley reported that artworks he had not created were being sold under his name, stating that he had signed some pieces while intoxicated. The Northern Territory police investigated the matter, but no charges were filed.
Visual Iconography Riley is remembered for working with a whole visual composition, mixing and layering paint, and experimenting with different colors and effects.8 Riley's paintings depict his mother's country, the Limmen Bight area surrounding the Limmen Bight River and the rocky outcrop known as the Four Archers (Barrkuwiriji). His characteristic landscape style and brilliant use of color brought Riley into the spotlight as an Aboriginal artist working with contemporary mediums. Aside from the adventurous use of color, Riley's works are also characteristic of unique iconography, depicting natural and supernatural narratives which take place in the Limmen Bight area, the coastal saltwater country of the Marra people, for which he is both a traditional owner, as well as a custodian (Djungkayi).
Riley's use of colour goes beyond aesthetics, tapping into psychological and spiritual symbolism. He primarily worked with the four psychological primaries of red, blue, yellow, and green, all at full intensity. Each colour holds symbolic meaning: red often signifies the power and aggression of Garimala or Bulukbun, while blue suggests calmness, mythic time, or the depths of sea and sky. This use of colour reflects Riley's belief in the spirit-imbued nature of the landscape, and his compositions evoke not just place but presence. His intense colour contrasts, such as complementary hues of red and green or blue and yellow, enhance the spiritual tension between ancestral forces in his scenes.Ellem, Lucy. “‘the Colour of My Country’: Landscape and Spirituality in the Art of Ginger Riley Munduwalawala.” Sydney Studies in Religion, no. 2 (August 2, 2017). https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/SSR/article/download/12096/11241.
Riley's technique of painting also contributes to the spiritual power of his work. He would lay the canvas flat on the ground and build the painting in layers, saying, “building up country,” just as the land itself is layered. This metaphor aligns with Aboriginal understandings of land as layered with ancestral presence and meaning. This method results in rich, glowing effects as the underpainting peeks through successive layers, contributing to the sense of a landscape that is alive and incorporating spiritual aspects.