Ngarra
Ngarra (1920–2008) was an Aboriginal Australian artist of the Andinyin and Gija peoples, known for his paintings on canvas and paper which depicted his homelands in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, along with events from the ancestral and colonial past. Among Aboriginal people in the central and east Kimberley he was revered for his deep knowledge of Aboriginal ceremonial practices which he learned from his grandparents Muelbyne and Larlgarlbyne while living nomadically in the remote Mornington Range. Early life Ngarra was born in 1920 on Glenroy Station in the west Kimberley. An orphan, he ran away from the station and went to live with his grandparents Muebyne and Larlgarbyne. Career Ngarra started painting in 1994. His work was facilitated and documented by the anthropologist Kevin Shaw. Ngarra's late paintings are defined by his use of vibrant colour contrast, which he achieved by mixing Ara acrylic paints to create his own palette. Ngarra's paintings contain many references to pre-colonial Aboriginal traditions. His works were exhibited at the Western Australian Museum in 2000, and some are held in the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of Western Australia and Museum Victoria. In 2015, sixteen of Ngarra's works were included in