Bardayal ‘Lofty’ Nadjamerrek

Bardayal “Lofty” Nadjamerrek AO was a senior Bininj Kunwok lawman, cultural leader and master bark painter whose work bridged ancient rock art traditions and contemporary Indigenous art practice. Born on the Arnhem Land Plateau, he grew up travelling among significant rock art and ceremonial sites for which he later held custodial responsibility. His deep knowledge of these sites informed a painting style distinguished by precise figurative forms, refined rarrk (cross-hatching), and imagery drawn directly from djang (Dreaming) narratives and plateau country.
Working primarily from the outstation of Kabulwarnamyo, which he helped establish in the 1980s, Nadjamerrek was instrumental in supporting the homelands movement and enabling Kune and Kuninjku people to live on Country according to cultural law. His paintings retain the compositional clarity and ancestral authority of the rock art he maintained, giving his work exceptional cultural depth.
Nadjamerrek was a multiple-time finalist in the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award and in 2000 won the Wandjuk Marika 3D Memorial Award for his lorrkkon hollow log sculptures. His cultural and artistic leadership were celebrated nationally, including through the National Gallery of Australia’s 2010 exhibition “Lofty Bardayal Nadjamerrek AO: His Legacy”, honouring his immense influence on Arnhem Land art and the generations of artists who follow his teachings.

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Bardayal ‘Lofty’ Nadjamerrek

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