- Artist: Estelle Munkanome
- Art Centre: Ngaruwanajirri Inc
- Region: Tiwi Islands
Artwork Story
DATE OF BIRTH: 18.05.1960
OTHER NAMES: Elle
DANCE: Shark
SKIN GROUP: Takaringa (Mullet)
MOTHER`S COUNTRY: Jikarruwu ( Cape Fourcroy ) Bathurst Island
FATHER`S COUNTRY: Port Hurd, Bathurst Island
ART CENTRE: Ngaruwanajirri , Nguiu , Bathurst Island
MEDIUM : Natural ochres on Arches paper, Batik on silk using Naphtol and Drimarine K dyes ,watercolours on paper.
Estelle has been working with Ngaruwanajirri since 1996. Her early works with natural ochres were very delicate. More recent paintings have become bolder in line and colour and dot. The structure and ideas in Estelle`s paintings are often reflected in her batiks on silk, where she uses Naphtol dyes and Drimarine K dyes.
ARTIST`S STATEMENT: I like painting cards and beads and silk (scarves ). Like putting wax on the silk. I like painting circles and lines with ochre paints.
EXHIBITIONS
“Ngawamantawi” Indigenart (Mossenson Gallery ) Subiaco W.A. June- July 1998.
“Pupuni Yinkiti Arimuwu Kapi Winga”-( Good Food , Sea Food ) Art Back Nets Travelling Exhibition 2000- 2004.
“Tayikuwapi” (everyone)- Ngaruwanajirri Group Exhibition, Coomali Cultural Centre, Batchelor, N.T. August- September 2002.
“Ngaruwanajirri Paintings by Tiwi Artists”. Aboriginal and Pacific Art , Sydney. December 2002.
“Ngaruwanajirri Yirrara” Aboriginal and Pacific Art , Sydney. November- December 2003.
“Yirrajirrima” Raft Art Space , Parap, Darwin. March- April 2004.
“Warnarringa” Alison Kelly Gallery , Prahan, Victoria. October-November 2004.
“Ngaruwanajirri 2005” works on paper . Aboriginal and Pacific Art, Sydney. 26 November- 10 December 2005
“Ngaruwanajirri artists at Raft II” Raft Artspace, Darwin. 9th December- 23rd December 2005.
“Threading the Commonwealth : Textile, Tradition, Culture, Trade and Politics” RMIT Gallery, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria. 1st March- 30th April 2006. ( silk scarf)
“From the Edge” Ivan Dougherty Gallery, College of Fine Arts, University of N.S.W., Sydney 2nd March- 13 April 2006.
“ Jarrumwani” ( Tracks ) Alison Kelly Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria. 20th April 2006.
Supreme Court, Darwin N.T. A Ngaruwanajirri Group Exhibition. August 2006. Part of the 2006 Festival Of Darwin. (sponsored by the Darwin City Council )
“All the Tiwi Mob” Short St Gallery, Chinatown Broome W.A. 23rd September 2006. 3 Ngaruwanajirri Artists with works from Jilamara, Munupi and Tiwi Design.
“Our Home”: Charles Darwin University Art Collection recent acquisitions. The Gallery B12 Casuarina Campus, Darwin N.T. 19th October – 3rd November 2006.
Raft Artspace, Darwin N.T. 25th November – 16th December 2006.
“Tiwi Art”. Raft artspace , Darwin N.T. December 2006 – February 2007.
Short St Gallery, Broome W.A. Three man show with ochre on canvas by Estelle, Lorna Kantilla and Alfonso Puautjimi. 15th June 2007.
“Yirrinkiripwaja” Ngaruwanajirri Group exhibition, FAC Gallery, Wollongong University, N.S.W. 8th October- 26th October 2007.
“Ngaruwanajirri Yikurri” Aboriginal and Pacific Art, Sydney, N.S.W. 29th November- 20 December 2007 Natural ochres on paper and canvas.
“New work from the Tiwi Islands” SoMA Galleries, Norwood, S.A. Exhibition in conjunction with Tiwi Design, Munupi and Jilamara. March 2008. Ochres on Arches paper.
“Ngaruwanajirri New Works” Alison Kelly Gallery, Richmond, Victoria. March-April 2008. Ochre works On paper.
“Fabulous Top End Fabrics-Exhibition of Textiles from the Tiwi Islands.” A group exhibition at the Territory Craft Darwin Gallery, August 2008. A 3 metre length of batik silk using Naphtol dyes by Estelle was displayed.
“The Other Thing-a survey show”- Charles Darwin University Art Collection, The Gallery, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, N.T. 10th-26th September 2008.
Raft artspace, Darwin, N.T. December 2nd-18th exhibition of paintings by Estelle, Lorna Kantilla and Alfonso Puautjimi. 2008.
“Tokwampini Tiwi bird carvings” Aboriginal and Pacific Art, Sydney, N.S.W. 3rd-20th December 2008. A Ngaruwanajirri exhibition of paintings and carvings, plus carvings from other Tiwi Art workshops.
Lorna Kantilla, Estelle Munkanome, Alfonso Puautjimi. Raft artspace, Darwin, N.T. 6th to 28th Nov 09
“Prelude” Exhibition at Charles Darwin University to mark the opening of the new Chancellery Building, Casuarina Campus. Nov 2009, natural ochre painting on Arches paper by Estelle.
“White” exhibition, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA. Mixed exhibition from different communities. March 2010. Natural ochre painting on Arches paper by Estelle.
Nomad Art, ACT, June 2010. Natural ochre paintings on Arches paper by Estelle Munkanome, Alfonso Puautjimi and Lorna Kantilla.
Outstation Art, Parap, N.T. 12th June 2010. Natural ochre paintings on canvas and Arches paper by Estelle, Lorna Kantilla and Alfonso Puautjimi.
“Arampini: Artists from the Tiwi Islands” 8th July-11th August 2010. Paintings by artists from Ngaruwanajirri and from Munupi Arts (Melville Island). NAS Gallery, National Art School, Darlinghurst, Sydney.
Kapala ..Short St Gallery, Broome, W.A. Works on paper by Estelle and other Ngaruwanajirri artists. August 2010.
No Words Necessary..new Tiwi works by Conrad Tipungwuti, Estelle Munkanome, Alfonso Puautjimi. 20th October to 20th November 2010. Suzanne O`Connell Gallery, Australian Indigenous Art, New Farm, Queensland.
Raft Artspace Christmas Show, 10th December 2010, works by Estelle, Alfonso Puautjimi and Lorna Kantilla. Raft Artspace, Alice Springs, N.T.
`Ngaruwanajirri: helping one another` Charles Darwin University Art Gallery, Casuarina, NT. 10th August to 7th October 2011. A retrospective exhibition of works by all Ngaruwanajirri artists.
COLLECTIONS:
Charles Darwin University Art Collection, Darwin, N.T.. Natural ochre paintings on Arches paper and one on canvas.
Batchelor Institute of Tertiary Education Art Collection , Batchelor, N.T. : natural ochres on canvas.
Artbank Collection. Natural ochres on Arches paper, 55 x 70cm.
Lam Collection, University of San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas USA. Large silk using Naphtol dyes And ochre paintings on Arches paper.
National Gallery of Victoria. Natural ochres on Arches paper and on canvas.
Museum of contemporary Aboriginal art, Utrecht, The Netherlands. A natural ochre work on Arches paper.