Paul Nabulumo Namarinjmak Australian, Kuninjku, b. 1971

Kuninjku artist Paul Nabulumo, born in 1971, is the son of acclaimed artist, Mick Kubarkku (1925 - 2008). Kubarkku was known for his painting of moon, sun and stars, which are djang from from sites on his country, Dirdbim.  Nabulumo has continued to paint this iconic imagery handed down from his father. Other common subjects of his work are waterholes, ngalyod (rainbow serpent), mimih and yawkyawk spirits and dilly-bags. Elements of his fathers expression remain in Nabulumo’s work and can be seen particularly in the faces of his mimih and yawkyawk spirit carvings and paintings. Nabulumo however has developed his own aesthetic, there is an elegance to his rarrk and thoughtfully tonality to his palette that is his own.

Nabulumo began exhibiting in 2000, participating in his first group show at Aboriginal Art & Pacific (Sydney). His work was included in the historic exhibition <<rark>> at the Bargehouse in London in 2007. His work was also selected for the 23rd and 28th Telstra National & Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibitions.

Nabulumo has shown both locally and internationally at highly regarded commercial spaces such as Josh Lilley Fine Art in the UK, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi is Melbourne, Annandale Galleries in Sydney and most recently at Paul Johnstone Gallery in Darwin. The artist’s work can be found in various collection including that of the National Gallery of Australia and the Museum of Victoria.

“Dirdbim literally means 'image of the moon'. The site is a large unusually round hole in a sandstone residual on the plain not far from the Mann River. The large hole is said to be the full moon created by the rainbow serpent 'ngalyod' who pierced the rock in times of the 'Dreaming' and left the shape of the full moon.

Kubumi is a sacred site on the Mann River consisting of a series of deep waterholes connected by underground tunnels. Ngalyod pierced the rock to create these waterholes and now lives in the rocky riverbed.