Barney Ellaga

Barney Ellaga was born about 1941 and is a senior law man within his Alawa community. As an artist, Barney conveys what is to him traditional in a most genuine way, through personal iconography and a feeling for colour drawn from instinct, inherited knowledge and love for country and culture.  In response to the land of his birth, Barney uses extraordinary colour complements to contour Alawa terrains. His fresh and dynamic approach gives impact and power to these abstract pieces and, as a consequence, his work is in high demand.

Since the introduction of acrylic paints and canvas, Aboriginal art has transgressed traditional symbols representing ceremonial ritual and story to become an international phenomenon, exploring the realms of contemporary abstraction. Barney has mastered this introduced medium.

The below artwork was featured in the Indigenous Law Bulletin July / August 2009 Volume 7 Issue 13.