Rosella Namok Biography
Rosella began painting with the Lockhart River Art Gang at an early age, her paintings are very contemporary in style, depicting multiple narratives about life in her isolated Aboriginal community, her physical, natural and social environment.
She paints about the country in Lockhart River and the influence of the weather there. Rosella spends a lot of time with the senior women at Lockhart. The younger generation appear to be less interested in the traditional laws and cultural influences of their Country, so Rosella is incorporating many of these aspects of her community history into her paintings, to prevent them from being lost forever.
Born in the eastern Cape York Peninsula in 1979, Rosella is from the Aangkum (Ungkun) language group. Her works are currently held in private and public collections both nationally and internationally including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA and Columbus State University, Georgia, USA.
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
Brisbane Club, Brisbane
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
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2010 Painting from up the Cape, Holmes a Court Gallery, Perth
2010 New Paintings, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
2009 Ngatangku Ngaachi (My Country) Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane
2008 From Sand Beach Side, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney Rosella Namok, Niagara Galleries Melbourne
2007 Ngaachi Bia Mepla (Our Country), Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane Sea Country
2007 Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
2006 Up North, Niagara Galleries, Melbourne
2006 Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
2005 My Puuya…my life essence, Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane
2004 ‘nother side, October Gallery, London, England
2004 Rosella Namok Essoign Club Gallery, Melbourne with Niagara Galleries
2004 Rosella Namok Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
2004 Kungkay Ma … up north Andrew Baker Art Gallery Brisbane
2003 Rosella Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
2003 Rosella Namok Niagara Galleries Melbourne
2002 Happen’ this way, Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane
2002 Tinta, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
2001 Mepla sarbie paint, Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane
2001 ‘Ee right this way, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
2000 me come from ‘yah, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
2000 'nother way, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne
1999 'bout here ... Lockhart River, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2004 The Tanks NAIDOC 2004 Exhibition The Tanks Art Centre, Cairns
2004 Out of Country QIAEMA Australian Embassy Washington, Kluge-Rhue Charlottesville USA
2004 Aboriginal & Oceanic Art Fair, QIAMEA Exhibit, Sydney
2004 Land/space + Family, Place, Art Gallery of Western Australia
2004 Lines of Descent, ATSI Prints and Objects QUT Art Museum, Brisbane
2004 Wynne Prize Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
2003 Postcard Exhibition 2003, Cairns Regional Gallery
2003 Kulam Kannga, group exhibition with the Art Gang, at Kluge-Rhue, Virginia,USA and Columbus State University, Georgia, USA
2003 Great Art Exhibition, Kunst Palast, Dusseldorf, Germany
2003 Redland Westpac Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney.
2003 Kooemba Djarra production ‘Yarnin’ up’, Stage backdrop painting. Broome, Cairns, Mt Isa, Brisbane, Korea.
2003 Australian Bar Association-High Court Centenary Art Award Exhibition. High Court of Australia, Canberra.
2003 Story Place, Indigenous art of Cape York and the rainforest, Queensland Art Gallery.
2003 Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award 2003, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.Also selected for the Telstra Touring Exhibition 2003-2004
2003 Beneath the Monsoon: Visions North of Capricorn, Artspace Mackay, Cairns Regional Gallery, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery Townsville
2003 Icons That Build a Collection, Cairns Regional Gallery
2003 Water: Prints from Lockhart River and the Tiwi Islands, Queensland University of Technology Art Museum, Brisbane
2002–04 Wild Nature in Contemporary Australian Art and Craft, a travelling exhibition funded by Visions Australia and the Gordon Darling Foundation: Jam Factory, Adelaide
2003 The Year in Art, S R Irwin Gallery Sydney
2002 The Queensland/Berlin Indigenous Art Exhibition, Ludwig Erhard Haus, Berlin, Germany
2002 Indigenous Highlights from the State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
2002 Indecorous Abstraction: Contemporary Women Painters, Light Square Gallery, Adelaide
2002 Message Stick: Journey’s End, Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane
2002 Collectable Aboriginal Art Event, Raintree Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery, Darwin
2002 International Womens’ Day Event, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne
2002 New Ground, Main Street Gallery, Hahndorf, Adelaide
2001 Dreamtime: Zeitgenössische Aboriginal Art/The Dark and the Light: 18.05–30.09.2001, Kunst der Gegenwart, Sammlung Essl, Klosterneuburg/Wien, Austria
2001 Wynne Prize Exhibition, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
2001 Lines of Descent: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Prints and Objects, QueenslandUniversity of Technology Art Museum, Brisbane
2001 Telstra 18th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and traveling exhibition
2001 Cape York Art Awards, Laura Festival, Laura
2001 Federation Exhibition: Local colour, local lives, Cairns Regional Gallery
2001 Postcard Exhibition 2001, Cairns Regional Gallery
2001 Masterworks, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne
2001 Gatherings, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane
2001 A few of my favourite things, Fire-works Gallery, Brisbane
2001 In my eyes: an exhibiton of fine art prints by the Lockhart River Art Gang and Friends, Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery, Cooktown Queensland
2000 Festival of Pacific Arts, Cultural Center Jean Marie Tjibaou, Nouméa, New Caledonia
2000 Uncommon World: Aspects of Contemporary Australian Art, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
2000 Beyond the Pale, Adelaide Arts Festival, 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 the Northern Territory, travelling exhibition
2000 The Art of Place—Fifth National Indigenous Heritage Art Awards, Old Parliament House, Canberra
2000 Postard Exhibition 2000, Cairns Regional Gallery
2000 In my eyes: an exhibiton of fine art prints by the Lockhart River Art Gang and Friends, Cairns Regional Gallery
2000 Parma Belong Sandbeach: paintings and prints by the Lockhart River Art Gang, Queensland Aboriginal Creations, Brisbane
2000 Olympic exhibition, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
2000 From the Top: Lockhart River paintings by Samantha Hobson and Rosella Namok, Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane
1999–2001 Message Stick, touring exhibition by the Lockhart River Art Gang, funded by Visions Australia
1999 23rd Biennial of Graphic Art, Lubljana, Slovenia: the screen prints My relations many generations and Clan Groups Around Lockhart River were selected for exhibition
1999 Cape York Art Awards, Laura Festival, Laura
1999 International Works on Paper Fair, Sydney
1999 Postcard Exhibition 1999, Cairns Regional Gallery
1999 Lockhart River Art Gang ’we searching’, Queensland Aboriginal Creations, Brisbane
1999 Lockhart River Prints Main Street Gallery, Harndorf, South Australia
1998 The National Indigenous Art of Place Award, Old Parliament House, Canberra
1998 Telstra 15th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Art Gallery of NT and traveling exhibition
1998 Message Stick 98, Queensland Aboriginal Creations, Brisbane
1997 Mepla Sarbie Art, with the Lockhart River Gang, Lockhart River Art and Culture Centre
1997 ngana nyllkana—us painting, with the Lockhart River Gang, Cairns Regional Gallery
1997 Rena Ellen Jones Award, Warrnambool Art Gallery, Victoria
AWARDS
2004 High Court Centenary Art Award, High Court of Australia, Canberra2003 Redlands Westpac Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney. Won the Open Award and the painting was acquired by Redlands Collection.
Australian Bar Association-High Court Centenary Art Award. High Court of Australia, Canberra. Won the Award and the painting was acquired by the High Court.
Centenary Medal for distinguished service to Indigenous art and to the community
2000 Lin Onus Youth Award - Fifth National Indigenous Heritage Art Awards, Canberra ACT, Australia
1999 Australia Council (ATSIAB) A shared grant with the Lockhart River Art Gang to produce new work for exhibition.
Most innovative product by an indigenous artist, Momento Awards, Brisbane: Rosella was in a group that designed these bookmarks for a set of stainless steel Sea Country bookmarks. Each artist designed two bookmarks.
2nd place, Works on Paper, Cape York Art Awards, Laura Festival
Nominated for Young Australian of the Year, Arts Section
1998 A member of the ‘Lockhart River Art Gang’ which won the National Heritage Commission Art of Place Community Endeavour Award Telstra 15th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, screen print Leaving the Community exhibited in Darwin and selected for the travelling exhibition
1997 Rena Allen Jones Award, Warrnambool Art Gallery, Victoria: screenprint selected for acquisition; Personal Development Grant, Arts Queensland
