Biography of michael nelson jagamara

Michael Jagamara (also spelt Jagamarra or Tjakamarra) was born circa 1946-49 at Pikilyi (Vaughan Springs) west of Yuendemu, in Central Australia. he was taught sand paintings, body paintings and shield paintings by his grandfather when he was a boy. His country, near Vaughan Springs, lies at the intersection of several major Dreaming paths and, thus, his paintings depict these many sacred sites He is the custodian of many Dreaming stories and believes it is his responsibility to preserve, in paint and print, the stories which can assist the teaching of others about his tradition and culture. Michael is a Warlpiri and Luritja speaker.

Acclaimed as an outstanding artist who has a unique ability to articulate the meaning of his work, Michael Nelson has been instrumental in communicating the significance of Aboriginal culture and art to the world and views it as a political tool to gain more leverage for Aboriginal land rights and self-determination. To Michael, art, religion and politics cannot be separated. He believes that greater political recognition, established through Aboriginal Art will also create more room for spiritual expression and a deeper understanding of Aboriginal beliefs.

The father of six girls and one boy, Michael Nelson Jagamara is a family orientated man. "When I paint I always have my children around me. I talk to them and tell them stories about our country. We often sit around the camp fire, telling stories. I want to pass on my culture. I'm proud of my work."

"Acrylic paintings really represent Aboriginal recognition of their place in Australian society. Aboriginal art is best though, in my mind, as a wedge into the dominant world-view of European society."

He began painting in 1981 at Papunya where he still lives today with his wife Marjorie. There he observed the work of older artists and by 1983 he had began to paint regularly. He paints Possum, Snake, Two Kangaroos, Flying Ant and Yam Dreamings from the

Aboriginal Australian painter (c.1946–2020)

Kumantje JagamaraAM (c.1946 – November 2020), also known as Kumantje Nelson Jagamara, Michael Minjina Nelson Tjakamarra, Michael Nelson Tjakamarra and variations (Kumantye, Jagamarra, Jakamara), was an Aboriginal Australian painter. He was one of the most significant proponents of the Western Desert art movement, an early style of contemporary Indigenous Australian art.

Early life and education

Kumantje Jagamara (the name preferred by his family) was born at Pikilyi, aka Vaughan Springs, Northern Territory (about 105 kilometres (65 mi) west of Yuendumu), around 1946. His parents were both Walpiri and his father was an important "Medicine Man" in the Yuendumu community.

He lived a traditional lifestyle, and his grandfather taught him sand-, body-, and shield-painting.

He first saw white men at Mount Doreen Station, and remembers hiding in the bush in fear. Jagamara lived at Haasts Bluff for a time with the same family group as Long Jack Phillipus Tjakamarra. Later his parents took him to Yuendumu for European education at the mission school.

Career

He left school after initiation and spent some time working jobs such as pig shooting, driving trucks and droving cattle. He spent time in the Australian Army before coming back to Yuendumu and then moving to Papunya in 1976 (after the death of his father) to settle and marry Marjorie Napaltjarri. He worked in the government store and observed the work of many of the older artists at Papunya Tula for many years (including working under the instruction of his uncle Jack Tjurpurrula) before he began to paint regularly in 1983. He was invited to join Papynya Artists in that year, and became one if its most well-known members.

Jagamara p

Michael Nelson Jagamara AM, a Warlpiri man, is a pivotal figure in the evolution of Aboriginal Art

Michael Nelson Jagamara AM, 1988 - Antonin Cermak

Born at Vaughan Springs, about 100 km west of Yuendumu (NT), his father, an important Warlpiri Medicine Man, instilled in him a deep connection to his culture and heritage. Jagamara's early encounters with white men were marked by fear, as he recalls hiding from them in the bush.

As a boy, Jagamara moved to Yuendumu to receive a European education at the mission school. However, after his initiation at thirteen, he embarked on a diverse path, working as a cattleman and joining the army. He eventually returned to his country, settling in Papunya in 1976, where he married and worked in the government store.

Jagamara's artistic journey began in earnest in 1983 when he joined Papunya Artists as a full-time member. Although he was not the first artist to start painting at Papunya, he quickly became one of its most well-known figures. In 1984, he was awarded the first National Aboriginal Art Award (now the Telstra NATSIAAs) for his work 'Three Ceremonies' (1984), marking the start of a meteoric rise in his career.

 Metafisica Australe, 2017, Imants Tillers and Michael Nelson Jagamarra

His collaboration with Australian artist Imants Tillers in 1985 on the work 'The Nine Shots' (1985), exhibited in the 6th Biennale of Sydney, was a significant moment in his career, reflecting a postmodern gesture and a transgressive approach to art. This collaboration continued over the years, resulting in 24 paintings exchanged between Papunya and Cooma, NSW, where Tillers resides.

Michael Jagamara Nelson’s painting Five Stories of 1984 is one of the iconic images of modern Aboriginal art. It has been published and exhibited widely, possibly more so than any other work by an Indigenous Australian artist. During the 1980s and 1990s Five Stories featured in several landmark exhibitions in Australia and abroad at a time when Aborig