Barayuwa Mununggurr Djapu, b. 1980

Barayuwa Mubnunggurr was born in 1980 at Wandawuy outstation near Caledon Bay, Yirrkala. He is of the Djapu people and lives and works in Yirrkala.  Also known as (Djirkurrul, Gulukurru) Barayuwa paints his own Djapu designs as well as the Munyuku clan designs of his mother Bengitj’s homeland, Yarrinya. Yarrinya is also the motherland of his paternal grandfather, Wonggu Mununggurr. In addition to painting, Barayuwa makes yidaki, galpu (spearthrowers), gara (spears) and bilma (clapsticks). Barayuwa and his wife Whaiora are long-time staff members of the community arts centre Buku-Larrnggay Mulka, in Yirrkala, providing great assistance to all the artists of the community in many ways. Partly through touching up other artists’ works, Barayuwa has developed a very fine hand and is becoming an artist in his own right, painting both his own Djapu clan designs as well as his mother’s Munyuku clan’s. His father is recently deceased, and mother is Benggitj Nurruwutthun, a sister to the great Dula. He often creates his own artworks and crafts such as yidaki, galpu (spearthrowers), gara (spears) and bilma (clapsticks). In 2007, he held his first exhibition at Raft Artspace in Darwin. Early season barks in 2008 painted by Barayuwa of Munyuka clan design showed a strength and style quite reminiscent of his late uncle and became an obvious candidate for Annandale's Young Guns II. The success of his involvement in this exercise led to his involvement in a Brisbane group show in 2008 and his solo show at Indigenart in Perth in early 2009. Also during 2009 he was invited to participate in a collaborative project with Sydney based artist Ruark Lewis – Transcriptions for the Perfect House – a multi media installation at the ANU Gallery in Canberra scheduled for 2011. He had his first solo show at Indigenart in Perth and followed that up with involvement in the 30 x 30 show of 2011. He continued to exhibit and collaborate with Ruark Lewis in 2012 and 2013 spending three weeks in an extended studio visit leading up to their joint show with Jonathan Jones at Macquarie Uni. Also in 2013 his bark in the 30th anniversary Telstra NATSIAA was awarded a Highly  Commended and acquired by the Museum and Art Gallery of the NT. A further work was commissioned by the NGA. In 2014 he was invited to exhibit in Primavera at MCA curated by Mikala Dwyer. This was a major feature of the exhibition and included a bark shelter with video screens.