Exhibition

Bedford, Paddy 'Kuwumji' (c 1922 - )
Gija name Nyunkuny
Skin name Jawalyi
Gija Painter

Nyunkuny, commonly known by his nick name 'Kuwumji and also by his 'gardiya' name Paddy Bedford, is a Gija law man of Jawalyi skin who was born at Bedford Downs Station in the East Kimberley. A couple of years before his birth a group of his Gija relations had been murdered by strychnine poisoning in retaliation for the killing of one milking cow near Mt King, an emu dreaming place to the west of the homestead. The massacre was organised by the then manager of Bedford Downs, Paddy Quilty. People moved out to the government station at Violet Valley but by the time of the artist's birth had been persuaded to return to work at Bedford Downs. When he was born Paddy Quilty asked "Is it a boy or girl?". "Oh, its a boy. You can call him Paddy after me."

When young he worked as a stockman for the usual tea, flour and tobacco on old Greenvale and Bow River Stations before returning to work on Bedford Downs. He and his family left Bedford Downs and moved to Warmun (Warrmarn - Turkey Creek) when Basil Quilty, nephew of Paddy Quilty killed all the camp dogs.

As a senior law man he has been involved in painting as part of ceremony all his life. He began painting on canvas for exhibition after Freddy Timms set up the Jirrawun Aboriginal Art group at Rugun (Crocodile Hole) in 1997 and is represented in several major collections including that of the Art Gallery of NSW. His work in the 'Turkey Creek' style with expanses of plain ochre with a few well chosen shapes and sparse lines marked by white dots, depicts the bones of the landscape in which he has spent a life time. His paintings combine important family dreamings such as emu, turkey and cockatoo with roads, rivers, the living areas for traditional life and stock camp life, stock yards and country visited while mustering. His work has been hailed as that of a 'new' Rover Thomas although he was born a few years before him.

During the 2000 Olympics one of his paintings featured on the cover of the United Airlines in flight magazine and he had a sell out show at Martin Browne Gallery in Sydney. Appropriately considering his origins, his work is to be included in an exhibition titled 'Blood on the Spinifex' planned at Ian Potter Gallery in Melbourne in 2002.

Solo Exhibitons
1998 My Country - William Mora Galleries, Melbourne
2000 Chapman Galleries, Canberra
Martin Browne Gallery Sydney
2001 Raft Gallery, Darwin

Group Exhibitions
1998 Jirrawun Aboriginal Artists - Martin Browne Fine Art
1998 Jirrawun Artist's Exhibition 'Artists from Crocodile Hole' - Perth
1999 My Country - Northern Territory University Gallery Darwin NT
1999 Painting Country - William Mora Galleries Melbourne
1999 Chapman Galleries Canberra
1999 - 2000 Mapping Our Countries - Djamu Gallery, Australian Museum, Sydney
2000 Land Mark : Mirror Mark: Prints by Aboriginal artists from the collection of the Northern Territory
University - Drill Hall Gallery Australian National University; later at Columbia State University USA
Kluge - Ruhe Collection of Aboriginal Art University of Virginia Feb - May
Opening 2000 - William Mora Galleries, Melbourne
Gaagembi - Poor Things - William Mora Galleries Melbourne
Christmas Exhibition - Martin Browne Fine Art
2001 Four men, Four Paintings - Raft Gallery Darwin Ochre - Short Street Gallery Broome

References
Ross, H. (ed.) Impact Stories of the East Kimberley,
East Kimberley Working Paper No 28 CRES ANU 1989
Flanagan, M. "More than a passing knowledge", The Age
30 November 1998 Georgeff, Simon, "Drawing the line". The Sunday Age, 23 August 1998, Agenda p 16
Deutsher Menzies auction catalogue
Art Collector magazine
and interviews with the artist 1998, 1999, 2000 Frances Kofod

Documentation produced for Jirrawun Aboriginal Artists Corporation by Frances Kofod.
Copyright of stories remains with the artist and his family