Edwin Lee Mulligan
Edwin is Walmajarri on his father’s side which covers the great sandy desert and Nykina on his mother’s side which stretches along the mighty Fitzroy river. Edwin is one of the most exciting artists to emerge from the Kimberley region combining the artistic history of both his father, mother and his brother Mark Nodea’s Warmun techniques. This year he is the first Indigenous artist to win the Shinju and Kimberley Indigenous art prizes in the same year. Edwin’s skin name is Jangkarti.
Eagle
Photograph by Russell James. Collaborative art by Edwin Lee Mulligan.
4’10” x 7’ archival pigment ink printed on rag cotton with acrylic and ochre applications.
“This is a dream I had…Flying through the clear blue sky, feeling free as a bird could ever be, I was overwhelmed with relaxation over a familiar dotted landscape that was before me, spotted with splendid colours it was so rich and breathtaking I didn’t realize that it was a large bird until looking over my shoulders I had dark brown feathers. I called out to the silent air and as I gazed into the distance noticing the whole scenery that was somehow previously painted by myself, it was beautiful only a place, suddenly the painting sprung into life, tree, grass sand rock, the mighty river hills and dominated mountains in the background, those mountains themselves became like human figures, moving side to side like walking talking singing dancing among themselves, they were all grouped together as a large extended family group a long line of them that stretched for kilometers, from the place which I was closest to, a place called Djugerari, Yakanarra the place where I grew up most of my childhood”
Eagle Flying
Photograph by Russell James. Collaborative art by Edwin Lee Mulligan (AUS).
"This is a dream I had...Flying through the clear blue sky, feeling free as a bird could ever be, I was overwhelmed with relaxation over a familiar dotted landscape that was before me, spotted with splendid colors it was so rich and breathtaking I didn't realize that it was a large bird until looking over my shoulders I had dark brown feathers. I called out to the silent air and as I gazed into the distance noticing the whole scenery that was somehow previously painted by myself, it was beautiful only a place, suddenly the painting sprung into life, tree, grass sand rock, the mighty river hills and dominated mountains in the background, those mountains themselves became like human figures, moving side to side like walking talking singing dancing among themselves, they were all grouped together as a large extended family group a long line of them that stretched for kilometers, from the place which I was closest to, a place called Djugerari, Yakanarra the place where I grew up most of my childhood."