item details
NameThe mortuary ceremony
ProductionJohn Bulunbulun; artist; circa 1976; Australia
Classificationpaintings, bark paintings
Materialsbark, red ocher, pigment, yellow ocher
Materials Summarynatural pigments on eucalyptus bark
DimensionsOverall: 620mm (width), 1095mm (length), 5mm (depth)
Registration NumberFE006934
Credit lineGift of the Australian Government, 1976
Overview
John Bulunbulun was a respected painter, singer, ceremonial leader, and activist. Here, he depicts the songs and dances performed at a murukundjeh (funeral ceremony).
Bulunbulun was a pioneer in the fight for indigenous rights over indigenous imagery. In 1989, he led a group of artists, including David Malangi, whose work also features in Gifted, to sue a T-shirt company for using his people’s imagery without consent. The group won an out-of-court settlement, and the company stopped making the product.