Lightning men at Pirliryanu

MICHAEL NELSON JAGAMARA
Born: 1946 Pikilyi (Vaughn Springs) NT
Died: 2020 Alice Springs NT
Languages: Warlpiri & Luritja
Region: Papunya, Western Desert NT

Michael Nelson began painting in the early 1980’s in Papunya, Central Australia, in the classic dot and circle tradition of desert sand painting. Much of his work centres on the country in the Mt Singleton area and tells of traditional Dreaming stories including Yam, Possum, Kangaroo, Emu and Lightning. Michael Nelson was recognised nationally and internationally in the late 1980s through numerous public art commissions and awards including the 1984 inaugural National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (Now the Telstra NATSIAA). During the late 1990s, the artist reinvented his approach to painting with a more expressionistic style. He continued to make the salient point that his stories have never changed, although his choice of colours, materials and appearance of works were continually being reformatted. Michael Nelson’s significant contribution to Aboriginal Art was recognised in 1993 when he received the Order of Australia (AM) medal, and then in 2008 when he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of New South Wales. His works are held in numerous private, corporate and many public collections in Australia including the National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of Australia, Parliament House Art Collection, & QAGOMA. Recently a major collaborative work with Imants Tillers was acquired by the Tate Modern, London.