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Djon Mundine

Australian curator, writer, artist and activist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Djon Mundine
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Djon Mundine OAM (born 1951) is an Aboriginal Australian artist, curator, activist and writer. He is a member of the Bundjalung people of northern New South Wales. He is known for having conceived the 1988 work Aboriginal Memorial, on display at the National Gallery of Art in Canberra.

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Early life

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Djon was born in Grafton, New South Wales in 1951. He was born 6th of 11 children to Roy Mundine and Olive Bridgette Mundine (nee Donovan). John's father Roy was a union stockman, and Olive's father had joined the first Indigenous Australian political party, the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association, in the 1920s.[1] His family was very poor growing up, but he credits his father with encouraging the children to think: "I suppose you're not supposed to talk about sex and politics and religion at the table, but he'd get us to talk about whatever was in the papers."[2] He is the elder brother of former politician Nyunggai Warren Mundine.[3] His family later moved to Sydney in 1963, where he attended Marist Brothers schools in Auburn and Parramatta.[4]

He is a Wehbal man from the West Bundjalung nation, from the Northern Rivers of New South Wales.[5] He is also a descendant of the Yuin people.[6]

Mundine spent his early life in South Grafton.[1] He was exposed to the traditions of Aboriginal art and technique from a young age.[7]

In 1963, his family settled in the western Sydney suburb of Auburn.[1] Mundine went to the Marist Brothers College then called Benedict College, and went on to commence study at Macquarie University.[2]

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Art career

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After deciding that college was not the right path for him, he became an art adviser at Milingimbi Art Centre[8] as art and craft advisor at Milingimbi in the Crocodile Islands in 1979, and afterwards as curator and adviser at Bula'Bula Arts in Ramingining, in Arnhem Land, for 16 years. There he conceived of the concept for the famous Aboriginal Memorial, which is on permanent display at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.[7][8][9]

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Arafura Swamp Ramingining

From 1979 to 1995, Mundine lived and worked in remote Aboriginal communities including Ramingining, Milingimbi, and Maningrida, where he served as an art adviser. He has described this period as formative, likening it to a spiritual pilgrimage that shaped his curatorial vision.[10]

Mundine is particularly well-known for his work as the concept artist and producer of the Aboriginal Memorial. This is a work of contemporary Indigenous Australian art comprising 200 decorated hollow log coffins, offered as a commemoration of the Australian Bicentenary celebrations in 1988; the log coffins represent 200 years of European occupation of Australia. Their design directly references the traditional hollow log mortuary ceremony of Central Arnhem Land,[11][12] commemorates those Indigenous Australians who died as a result of European settlement. The work was realised by 43 artists from Ramingining and neighbouring communities of Central Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory, including David Malangi, George Milpurrurru, and Philip Gudthaykudthay. It was acquired by the National Gallery of Australia, where it is on permanent display. Its first exhibition was at the Sydney Biennale in 1988, and it has travelled to various galleries around the world over the years.[9]

The Native Born (1996, MCA), was an exhibition and publication showing ceremonial and utilitarian weaving and artistic work from Ramingining community.[13] This led to the inclusion of artists such as Robyn Djunginy in the 1998 Sydney Biennale.[14] They are Meditating: Bark Paintings from the Museum of Contemporary Art's Arnott Collection (2008) was another major exhibition,[15] which consisted of over 200 objects from the Ramingining Collection. He divided the collection between six different environments in the Ramingining area : Larrtha'puy (mangroves), Diltjipuy (forests); Gulunbuy (waterholes); Retjapuy (jungles); Rangipuy(beaches); and Ninydjiyapuy (plains). Mundine honoured the intricate kinship system of Aboriginal culture by using pieces that not only depicted objects in nature, but also represented the histories and social structures of Aboriginal Australia.[16]

In 2008, Mundine created an exhibition called Etched in the Sun. The exhibition was organised held at Drill Hall Gallery in Canberra. It consisted of several fine art prints representing years of collaboration between Aboriginal artists and fine art printers. Artwork made between 1997 and 2007 by Indigenous artists such as Judy Watson, Banduk Marika, and Jean Baptiste Apuatimi were included.[17]

Another exhibition that he curated in 2008 was the Ngadhu, ngulili, ngeaninyagu: a personal history of Aboriginal art in the Premier State. It was held at the Campbelltown Arts Centre, and included work from artists like Brooke Andrew, Bronwyn Bancroft, and Badger Bates.[18]

In 2017, Djon Mundine curated Four Women: (I Do Belong) Double at the Lismore Regional Gallery. Inspired by Nina Simone’s song “Four Women,” the exhibition examined the complex identities, histories, and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Mundine brought together a range of contemporary artists including Karla Dickens, Fiona Foley, Romaine Moreton, and Wart to explore themes of resilience, cultural belonging, and political resistance. The exhibition emphasized the diversity of Blak womanhood through visual art, performance, and multimedia. It challenged stereotypes and celebrated lived experience. In 2020 Mundine won the Australia Council's Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement.[19][8][20]

In 2022, Mundine led "The Dabee Family Choir Mural Project." The project originated from the Jimmy and Peggy Lambert Memorial Mural in Kandos Museum. It was created to honour the lives of Jimmy and Peggy, who were survivors of the Dabee Massacre in 1823. For the exhibition, Mundine had over 60 descendants finger-paint Peggy and Jimmy's images.[21]

Mundine has been working on the Dingo Project, an exhibition he curated for Ngununggula, which looks into the spiritual mythology and the history of the ancestral dingoes. The project also features works from artists such as Karla Dickens, Fiona Foley, and Daniel Boyd.[22]

As of 2023 Mundine continues to work as an independent curator of contemporary First Nations art, and as cultural mentor for fellow First Nations artists.[23] He has been working on Ngununggula's second Entry Pavilion Commission. The Entry Pavilion Commission is an annual initiative in celebrating Gundungurra language, culture, and history. The exhibition is set to launch on 22 October 2023 and will be open for the public until 26 November.[24]

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Other activities

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Along with working at the arts centres, Mundine played a significant role in the community and worked with many regional and community-based organisations across Australia. Mundine has always been dedicated to his culture and community, and joined the Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA) as one of its founding members in 1987. He has also held curatorial posts at several institutions, including the Art Gallery of NSW, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.[8]

Mundine is known in the Aboriginal community for his work and beliefs. As an author, Mundine is able to express his beliefs about art and stay relevant. Mundine often uses his pieces of writing as a means to look deeper into art, past its mediums and origins.[25]

In 2001, Djon Mundine co-authored "Passion, Rich Collectors and the Export Dollar: The Selling of Aboriginal Art Overseas" with Felicity Wright. The essay critically examines the global commercialization of Aboriginal art, highlighting the tension between gaining international exposure and preserving the cultural integrity of Indigenous Australian works. Mundine critiques how Aboriginal art is often shaped to meet Western expectations, which can lead to misrepresentation and cultural distortion. The piece advocates for more ethical, informed approaches to selling and promoting Aboriginal art on the global stage.[26]

Between 2005 and 2006 Mundine was a research professor at the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) in Osaka, Japan.[9]

In 2012, Mundine curated Bungaree: The First Australian at Mosman Art Gallery, featuring 15 Indigenous artists exploring the legacy and myth of Bungaree, an Aboriginal man who circumnavigated Australia with Matthew Flinders. The exhibition examined themes of representation, identity, and historical memory, highlighting Bungaree's role as a cultural intermediary and public figure. Known as the "King of Broken Bay," Bungaree was a celebrity in colonial Sydney, often depicted wearing a red military coat, sometimes without clothing underneath. He was the subject of 18 known portraits, compared to only a few of Governor Macquarie, and may have been the first person referred to in print as "an Australian."[10]

In October 2023, ahead of the 2023 Australian referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, Mundine spoke in support of the Yes vote on SBS Television discussion programme Insight. He had not discussed this opinion with his brother Nyunggai Warren Mundine, who is one of the leaders of the No campaign.[3]

In a 2024 article in the Journal of Australian Studies, Djon Mundine described how, in Aboriginal cosmology, flashes of white light or rainbow refractions in nature, such as in reptiles, insects, or fish, are signs of divine presence. He connected this imagery to the ongoing cycle of life and death and the spiritual continuity between the living and the ancestors. His perspective reinforces the idea that Aboriginal art is not only a form of visual expression but also a cosmological and cultural practice grounded in memory, nature, and belief.[27]

Djon Mundine, as Senior Indigenous Consultant Curator at the Queensland Art Gallery, played a key role in curating and reflecting on the work of Michael Riley, a pioneering Aboriginal photographer and filmmaker. Mundine has written about Riley’s ability to blend personal history, spirituality, and political insight through both photography and film. He highlighted works like Sacrifice and Cloud, noting their significance in expressing internal spiritual struggle and broader Indigenous experience. Mundine’s engagement with Riley’s art contributes to ongoing recognition of Aboriginal artists whose work bridges tradition, identity, and contemporary visual culture.[28]

Known for his sharp and provocative essays, Mundine often blends pop culture with critical commentary, referencing works like Zoolander and Moby-Dick to critique representations of Aboriginal identity and vanity in contemporary art.[10]

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Honours and awards

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Other roles

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Writings

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Exhibitions

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Boards, committees and associations

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References

Further reading

External links

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