David Gulpilil AM (1953-2021), actor and dancer, was a Yolngu man of the Mandhalpuyngu language group and was born near Maningrida in Arnhem Land. Having been raised in the bush and educated in the customs of his people, Gulpilil was sixteen when British film director, Nicholas Roeg, saw him performing a traditional dance and cast him in the film, Walkabout, released in 1971. His career as an actor has since spanned five decades and encompasses several groundbreaking and iconic films, including Storm Boy (1976), The Last Wave (1977), Crocodile Dundee (1986) and Rabbit Proof Fence (2002). Some years ago, Gulpilil returned to his ancestral lands to subsist through crocodile hunting and fishing. He explored the contradictions and difficulties of straddling Yolngu and balanda (European) cultures in his smash one-man stage show Gulpilil conceived by Stephen Page and Neil Armfield. In addition to blazing a trail for subsequent generations of Indigenous performers, he contributed to the heightened awareness of Aboriginal culture and stories within the community generally.
Juno Gemes took this vibrant image of Gulpilil at the Cooee Gallery in Paddington, while he was on tour with the Yirrkala Dancers.
Gift of the artist 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Juno Gemes/Copyright Agency, 2022
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