Rosella Namok

Born in 1979, Rosella Namok is an Ungkum speaker who grew up in Lockhart River. In 1999 she burst onto the art scene with a highly successful exhibition in Sydney, which launched both her reputation and that of the Lockhart River Art Gang. She now enjoys a celebrated reputation among national and international art collectors.
Namok’s lands are to the south of Lockhart. Her totem is the Rosella. The artist’s language is the Aankum Group. Rosella began painting as a young girl when helping her father to decorate the bodies of dancers with ochre paints for traditional ceremonies. Her father was the painter of dancer’s bodies for tribal ceremony at Lockhart River and she would often help him smearing clay onto the body and working it with the fingers to create the appropriate designs. The marks or patterns used on the body and on the ceremonial ground are highly symbolic.
These ancestral markings are still strong elements in Rosella’s art today, together with other traditional symbolic patterns learnt from the sand drawing style taught to her by her grandmother. In Rosella Namok’s work we observe both decorative finger painting as well as “scraping” of the surface. “I paint mainly about clan groups, country, family and what people do” says Namok. Other subjects include the seasons – the dry and the wet – and the rainforest.  I also paint about the stories people tell me about, the spirits and carnival journeys to other communities.”
Rosella’s work is included in all the major Australian galleries and in some international collections. Her work is often viewed as taking Aboriginal art in a new direction, linking the traditional with the modern. She was ranked among the 50 most Collectable Artists in Australia by Art Collector magazine for 2001 and 2002. In 2013 two of her paintings were used as backdrops to a performance of Stavinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring by the Houston Ballet company in Texas.
Collections
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
ATSIC Collection, Canberra
Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra
Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns
Columbus State University, Georgia, USA
Emerald Shire Council, Queensland
Federal Court of Australia, Brisbane
Flinders University, Adelaide
Macquarie University, Sydney
Monash University, Melbourne
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Northern Territory University, Darwin
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
Queensland Health Rights Commission, Brisbane
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
State Library of Queensland, Brisbane
The Esk Collection, Tasmania
The High Court of Australia, Canberra
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
University of Queensland, Brisbane
Warrnambool Art Gallery, Victoria
Wollongong University, NSW
Individual Exhibitions
2005 My Puuya … my life essence, Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane.
2004 Rosella Namok at The Essoign Club, Melbourne; Kungkay Ma (Up North), Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane; nother side, October Gallery, London, England; Rosella Namok, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney.
2003 Rosella, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney; Niagara Galleries, Melbourne.
2002 Tinta at Hogarth Galleries, Paddington.
2001 “Ee Right This Way” at Hogarth Galleries, Paddington; melpa sarbie paint, Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane.
2000 I come from ‘yah, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney; Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne.
1999 bout here… Lockhart River, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney.
Group Exhibitions
2005 Decouvrir, rever, investir … l’Art aborigne d’Australie, The Embassy of Australia, Paris, France.
2004 Out of Country, Gallery 1601, Washington DC, USA; 21st Telstra National Aborigainal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin.
2003 Story Place, Indigenous Art of Cape York and the Rainforest, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
2003 Ngaachi Ngampula (Our Country), Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
2003 Beneath the Monsoon, Visions North of Capricorn, Artspace, MacKay
2003 20th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin.
2001 Dreamtime: Zeitgenossische Aboriginal Art / The Dark and the Light, Sammlung Essl, Klosterneuburg, Austria
2001 Wynne Prize Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
2001 Lines of Descent: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Prints and Objects, Queensland University of Technology Art Museum, Brisbane
2001 Federation Exhibition: Local Colour, Local Lives, Cairns Regional Gallery, Queensland 2001 Gatherings, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane
2001 A few of my favourite things, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane
2001 In my eyes: an exhibition of fine art prints by the Lockhart River Art Gang and Friends, Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery, Cooktown, Queensland.
2000 The Fifth National Indigenous Heritage Art Award, Old Parliament House, ACT
2000 Parma Belong Sandbeach: paintings and prints by the Lockhart River Art Gang, Queensland Aboriginal Creations, Brisbane
2000 Lockhart River Print Exhibition, Cairns Regional Gallery, Queensland
2000 Uncommon World: Aspects of Contemporary Australian Art, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
2000Beyond the Pale: Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
2000 Fortitude: New Art from Queensland, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
2000 Telstra 17th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory and traveling
2000 Postcards Exhibition, Cairns Regional Gallery, Queensland
2000 In my eyes: an exhibition of fine art prints by the Lockhart River Art Gang and Friends, Cairns Regional Gallery, Queensland
2000 Olympic Exhibition, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
2000 From the top: Lockhart River paintings by Samanth Hobson and Rosella Namok, Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane
1999 23rd Biennial of Graphic Art, Lubljana, Slovenia
1999 International Works on Paper Fair, Sydney
1999 Postcard Exhibition, Cairns Regional Gallery, Queensland
1999 Lockhart River Art Gang ‘we searching’, Queensland Aboriginal Creations, Brisbane.
1999-2001 Message Stick: Art from North Queensland’s Lockhart River Aboriginal Community, Queensland Aboriginal Creations, Brisbane and touring (co-ordinated by Visions Australia).
1998 National Indigenous Art of Place Award, Old Parliament House, Canberra
1998 Telstra 15th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory and traveling.
1997 Mepla Sarbie Art with the Lockhart River Art Gang, Lockhart River Art and Culture Centre, Queensland
1997 ngana nyllkana – us painting, with the Lockhart River Art Gang, Cairns Regional Gallery, Queensland
1997 Rena Ellen Jones Award, Warrnambool Art Gallery, Victoria.
Awards
2004 High Court Centenary Art Award, High Court of Australia, Canberra.
2000 Lin Onus Youth Award, The Fifth National Indigenous Heritage Art Award
1999 Most innovative product by an indigenous artist (a set of stainless steel Sea Cou
Bibliography
melpa sarbie paint, (exhibition catalogue), Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane, 2001.
Michael Eather (ed), Dreamtime: Zeitgenossische Aboriginal Art / The Dark and the Light, (exhibition catalogue), Sammlung Essl, Austria, 2001.
Marion Demozay (ed), Gatherings: Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art from Queensland Australia, Keeaira Press, Queensland, 2001.
Dr Michael Brand, ‘My country and people’ in Fortitude: New Art from Queensland, (exhibition catalogue), Queensland Art Gallery, 2000.
Message Stick: Art from North Queensland’s Lockhart River Aboriginal Community, (exhibition catalogue), Visions Australia, 1999.
Ron & Anne Edwards and the Lockhart River Gang, An Explorer’s Guide to Lockhart River, The Rams Skull Press, Kuranda, Queensland, 1997.
Dr Rex Butler, ‘Rosella’s choice’, Australian Art Collector, Issue 21, 2002.
Sue Neales, ‘Burning Bright’, The Australian Financial Review Magazine, July 2002.
Sandra McLean, ‘Star shines at opening’, The Courier Mail, 1 May 2002.
Courtney Kidd, ‘Layered stories, told at full speed’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 August 2001.
Susan McCulloch-Uehlin, ‘Water Marks’, The Weekend Australian Review, 21-22 July 2001.
Lisa Yallamas, ‘A brush with fame and fortune’, The Courier Mail, 8 June 2001.
Phil Brown, ‘Natural talent: works by an upcoming artist are a breath of fresh air’, Brisbane News, June 2001.
Michael Hutak, ‘Australia’s 50 Most Collectable Artists: Rosella Namok’, Australian Art Collector, Issue 15,
2001. Susan McCulloch-Uehlin, ‘Dreamtime finds a home in Austria, The Australian, 9 February 2001.
Debra Aldred, ‘Listing boosts the state of her art’, The Courier Mail, 15 January 2001.
Anna King Murdoch, ‘tradition maintained’, The Age, 14 November 2000.
Benjamin Genocchio, ‘Olympic tourists after the real thing’, The Australian, 6 October 2000.
Debra Aldred, ‘Bridging the cultural divide’, The Courier Mail, 19 August 2000.
Gerladine O’Brien, ‘Heritage Awards: Sugarbag Man’s winning tale’, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 August 2000.
Sally Butler, ‘Start now!: A Guide to the Aboriginal Art Market: North Queensland and Torres Strait Islands’, Australian Art Collector Issue 13, 2000.
Andrew Frost, ‘Previews: Rosella Namok’, Australian Art Collector, Issue 12, 2000.
Madeline Burbidge, ‘The Art Gang’, Arts Yarn Up: Australia Council for the Arts Magazine, Winter 2000.
Peter Anderson, ‘Galleries’, The Courier Mail, 31 May 2000.
Louise Martin-Chew, ‘Mastery of medium and matter’, The Australian, 26 May 2000.
Susan McCulloch-Uehlin, ‘Mind the gap’, The Weekend Australian Review, 18-19 March 2000.
Sally Butler, ‘Undiscovered, unmasked: Artists for a new millenium, Australian Art Collector, Issue 8, 1999.
Queensland Art Gallery, Story Place, Indigenous Art of Cape York and the Rainforest, QAG, Brisbane, 2003.