Aboriginal Fine Art

Tribe: Warlpiri

Area: Central & Western Desert, Northern Territory

Born: 1971

Biography:

Gary Simon Jagamarra was born on the 3rd of June 1971 at the gem field in Clermont, central Queensland. When Gary was in his late teens he began to research his aboriginal background in order to discover his heritage and identity. His father is believed to be from Biripi tribe of Northern New South Wales.
In 1996, Gary was adopted by a senior elder of the Central Desert, Rex Granite Japanuka, from Warlpiri Tribe, Northern Territory. Gary was then given the Aboriginal skin name of Jagamarra (Snake Dreaming) and has since learnt all of the stories, songs, ceremonies and dances associated with the Warlpiri people. Gary’s skin group totem is the snake, which means he is not allowed to eat it. His duty is one of care.
He has devoted his life to learning and maintaining the dreamings of his ancestors according to Aboriginal law. Jagamarra uses acrylics on canvas to tell his stories. They are aerial depictions following the tradition of his ancestor’s works in the sand. Aboriginal law and ceremony are very important to Jagamarra. This is prevalent in his works and devotion to his dreaming stories.