• Artist: Chips Mackinolty
  • Art Centre: Independent artist
  • Region: Darwin

Artwork Story

Chips Mackinolty is a Darwin-based (Australia) artist and writer who has worked for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organisations over four decades as an advocate, researcher, journalist, artist and graphic designer. His work has been represented in more than 200 group and one person shows over 45 years.

He has worked as a printmaker since 1969, initially in Sydney, and was a member of the Earthworks Poster Collective (1973–1980). After a stint in Townsville as a community arts officer (1980–81), he worked in the Northern Territory as an Aboriginal Arts advisor in Katherine and Uluru (1981–85); Northern Land Council field officer, researcher, graphic artist and journalist (1985–1990); then as a journalist with Fairfax, Murdoch, ACP and others (1990–2001). A collectively-run graphic arts and research group, with Peter Cooke and Therese Ritchie, Green Ant RAP, followed in the 1990s. In the 2000s he worked for the Northern Territory Government, among other things as a ministerial arts adviser, and then for the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT as a policy, research and advocacy officer, with a bit of graphic arts thrown in. Currently spending as much time as he can in Sicily, Italy. Continues to exhibit, including in Italy, and his work is held in private and public collections in Australia and overseas.

Chips Mackinolty 2016