Fish etching by Wukun Wanambi 19x14cm

Wukun Wanambi is a Yolngu artist from Eastern Arnhem Land and a member of the Marrakulu clan. He works primarily using earth pigments on bark and larrakitj (which are traditional memorial poles), and also makes prints at the Buku Larrngay Print Space in Yirrkala.

Since he won the Best Bark Painting category at the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards in 1998, he has been an extremely successful artist. Five years later, he was awarded a Highly Commended at the same Awards, this time in the 3-D category.

Wukun has exhibited nationally as a solo artist and his work is in most major Australian galleries, including the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of NSW and the Art Gallery of South Australia. The fish he paints are part of an important body of saltwater imagery from his traditional homeland at Gurka’wuy, the maintenance of which is the responsibility of his clan.