Brother John Pye, the Head of St Therese's Mission on Nguiu, Bathurst Island, wrote a letter in 1977 which recounts how the first figurative carvings were created on Bathurst Island in 1952, and that the decoration is representative of body markings reflecting the artist's tribal skin group. Expression, personality and nuance take precedent in Tiwi symbolism. Interpretations are uniquely fluid, la…

Provenance

Private collection, New York; Private collection, Melbourne