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Born
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17th August, 1961
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Region
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Melville
Island, NT
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Domicile
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Milikapiti,
Melville Island, NT
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Agency
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Jilamara
Arts and Crafts
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Country
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Goose
Creek
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Language
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Tiwi
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Skin Group
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Scaly
Mullet
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Dance
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Shark
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EXHIBITIONS
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2002-06
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Kiripuranji, Artbank collection international touring
exhibition – South Pacific, South East Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East,
Latin America.
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2002
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Pwoja
Jilamara,
RAFT Artspace, Darwin
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2003
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Pwoja
amintiya Mulipininni, RAFT Artspace, Darwin
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2004
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Living
Tiwi: Tiwi Awuta Yimpanguwi, Museum für Völkerkunde, Hamburg, Germany in
association with Jilamara Arts and Crafts
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2004
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Milikapiti
Turtiyanginari: Milikapiti Ochre, RAFT Artspace, Darwin
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2005
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Living
Tiwi: Tiwi Awuta Yimpanguwi, Galerie Dad, Mantes-La-Jolie, France
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2005
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Yirrarra
– Kulama amintiya Pukumani, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne
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2006
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Peter
Bailie Art Award, Flinders
University Art Museum, Adelaide.
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2006
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Awirankini
Jilamara, Suzanne O’Connell Gallery, Brisbane.
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2006
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Nginingaji
ngawula kurrupuranji Jilamara, RAFT Artspace, Darwin
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2006
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Yirrajirrima
murrakupuni ngawurraningimarri, Tiwi Art Network, Darwin
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2006
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Jilamara: new etchings from Melville Island, Northern Editions, Darwin
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2006
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Jilamara: new etchings from Melville Island, Northern Editions, Alison
Kelly Gallery Melbourne
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2006
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Jilamara Tiwi, Soma Galleries, Adelaide.
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2006
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Ngawila
jilamara: our design, Aboriginal & Pacific Art Gallery, Sydney
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2007
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Ngarramukuriyi
jilamara kartakuni,
Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne
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COLLECTIONS HELD
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National
Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
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Artbank,
Sydney
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Levi-Kaplan
Collection, Seattle, USA
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Jilamara
Arts & Craft Association, ‘Living Tiwi: Tiwi Awuta Yimpanguwi’
exhibition catalogue, 2004
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ARTIST STATEMENT
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Kenny
Brown was involved in the early stages of Jilamara’s development in about
1989 when he produced carvings and bark paintings which were sold through the
art centre. He stopped painting to work at the Milikapiti farm for several
years and also worked at the Community Social Club before coming back in to
the art centre in December 2001 to continue with his artwork.
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As a teenager Kenny lived at Paru on Melville Island
“with the old people”. Paru was well known for senior women carvers, and
older Tiwi people who were well respected for their traditional language and
cultural knowledge. “Marjory Wonaeamirri grew me up” (the artist’s
grandmother). At approximately 17 years of age Kenny left Paru but the
influence of the elders on his life continues to this day. He acknowledges their
influence in his art, and states that he “learnt designs from the old
people”. From one generation to the next generation the senior Tiwi people
were giving designs to Kenny relating to identity, skin (or tribe), strong
imagery which holds powerful connections to past generations and provides a
symbolic continuous link throughout Tiwi history. “The old people never
talked about design, they showed me design”.
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He is recognised as being an artist with great skill,
and has attracted the attention of commercial galleries and private
collectors in Australia.
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The first inclusion of his artwork in exhibition was
in Pwoja Jilamara at RAFT Artspace, Darwin, in March 2002. He is currently working
towards his first solo exhibition
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