Balang Nakurulk, 1952–2024
By EFFY CAO
Portrait of BALANG NAKURULK. Courtesy Creative Australia.
On December 21, 2024, Balang Nakurulk (John Mawurndjul)—an Australian Aboriginal master bark painter and leading exponent of the rarrk (cross-hatching) technique—passed away in Maningrida, Northern Territory, at the age of 72. Nakurulk revolutionized Kuninjku visual traditions, bringing them to an international audience while remaining deeply connected to his ancestral lands.
Born in 1952 in Kubukkan near Marrkolidjban, western Arnhem Land, Nakurulk undertook an artistic journey shaped by his cultural heritage and a profound commitment to innovation. In his early practice, he created small-scale paintings depicting the transformation of the rainbow serpent Ngalyod as it swallowed other beings such as the Yawkyawk, an amphibious spirit from Kuninjku mythology. By the late 1980s, his work expanded in scale and complexity, capturing the dynamic movement and immense power of Ngalyod’s body.
In his later years, Nakurulk increasingly emphasized geometric aesthetics, producing abstract paintings that reflect the sacred terrains of his homeland. While deeply inspired by Indigenous traditions, he also experimented with new forms of patterning and composition, continuously evolving his artistic language.
In the course of his career, Nakurulk established himself as a seminal figure in the Australian art scene. In 1999, 2002, and 2016, respectively, he won the bark painting prize at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award, as well the Clemenger Contemporary Art Prize in 2003. In 2010, he was honored with the Order of Australia—the highest national distinction for outstanding achievement and service—for his contributions to the preservation of Aboriginal culture.
Nakurulk also achieved widespread international acclaim. His works have been featured in solo shows at overseas institutions, such as the Museum Tinguely in Basel and Hannover’s Sprengel Museum.
Despite his success, Nakurulk remained rooted in his homeland, living on his outstation at Milmilngkan since the early 1990s. However, the 2007 Northern Territory Emergency Response (which reduced economic support for outstations like Milmilngkan) disrupted his life, leading to financial hardship and a professional hiatus from painting between 2011 and 2015. Yet Nakurulk’s landmark retrospective “I am the old and the new” (2018) at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney reaffirmed his legacy as one of Australia’s most significant artistic voices.
Effy Cao is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.
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