England Banggala

Other Spellings: Bangala, Bungala
  
 Born:                      1925 c.       
 Died:                      02.12.2001
 Tribe:                     Gunardba
 Community Centre:          Maningrida, Central Arnhem Land
 Outstation or Country:     Gochan Jiny-jirra (Cadell Gardens)
 Language:                  Burarra, Gun-nartpa dialect
 Local Group (clan):        An-nguliny
 Social Affiliations:       Yirricha moiety, Ngarrich subsection
  
 Medium/ Form:              Bark painting, ochres on bark, carving, 
carved and painted wooden sculpture, hollow log coffin, lithography

He attended Milingimbi Methodist Mission school spasmodically when he was young, and later worked as a farmer and carpenter at his lonely outstation, sometimes he went to Oenpelli to earn money as a buffalo shooter. Eventually Bangala married his promised girl wife and fathered 4 boys and 3 girls. Two of the girls have since passed away. England is a fully initiated elder of his tribe and a foremost recorder on bark and on Arches Rives paper of the history and religion of his ancestors. He is always at the forefront of tribal ceremonies because of his wisdom and knowledge. He was taught to paint by his father, also a famous bark painter, but none of his sons have gone through their age-grading ceremonies and therefore have not been allowed to paint, so that his unusual style could die out with him.

The art of Bangala is hanging in major art galleries and museums and is featured in authentic art books. He has exhibited in most Australian states and has also travelled with dance groups as a talented performer, singing and dancing in the traditional tribal way.

Click here to view the Exhibitions and collections

Awards/Grants/Commissions:

1992, Half Fellowship, from the Aboriginal Arts Unit of the Australia Council for the Arts.

Collections:

Aboriginal Art Museum, The Netherlands.

Art bank, Sydney.

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide.

Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth.

Central Collection, Australian National University, Canberra.

Christensen Collection held Museum of Victoria, Melbourne.

Djomi Museum, Maningrida.

Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise, Queensland.

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin.

Museum of Contemporary Art, Maningrida Collection, Sydney.

Museum of Victoria, Melbourne.

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

The Holmes a Court Collection, Perth.

Group Exhibitions:

1974 to 1976, Art of Aboriginal Australia, touring Canada, Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada Ltd.

1982, Aboriginal Art at the Top, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin.

1983, Artists of Arnhem Land, Canberra School of 1986, Painted Objects from Arnhem Land, University

Drill Gallery (Pod), Canberra, ACT.

1987, The Fourth National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the NT

1987, Esplanade Gallery, Darwin.

1988, Bulawirri / Bugaja a special place, NGV, Melbourne.

1988, Gochan Jiny-jirra artists, MOCA, Brisbane.

1989, A Myriad of Dreaming: Twentieth Century Aboriginal Art, Westpac Gallery, Melbourne; Design

Warehouse Sydney [through Lauraine Diggins Fine Art]

1989, Aboriginal Art: The Continuing Tradition, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

1990, Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

1990, Balance 1990: views, visions, influences, travelling 1990, Spirit in Land, Bark Paintings from

Arnhem Land, National Gallery of Victoria.

1990, Keepers of the Secrets, Aboriginal Art from Arnhemland, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth.

1992, The Ninth National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the NT

1992/3, New Tracks Old Land: An Exhibition of Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia,

touring USA and Australia.

1993, Ten years of acquisitions, from ANU collection, Drill Hall Gallery ACT.

1993, Australian Heritage Commission National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

Exhibition, Old Parliament House, Canberra.

1993/4, ARATJARA, Art of the First Australians, Touring: Kunstammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen,

Dusseldorf; Hayward Gallery, London; Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek, Denmark.

1994, Power of the Land, Masterpieces of Aboriginal Art, National Gallery of Victoria.

1994, Maningrida Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.

1997 – Exposition collective, L’Art des Aborigènes d’Australie, Arts d’Australie • Stéphane Jacob / Galerie de Stassart, Bruxelles.

1997 – Exposition collective, L’Art des Aborigènes d’Australie, Arts d’Australie • Stéphane Jacob / Espace Paul Riquet, Béziers.

1998 – Exposition collective, L’Art des Aborigènes d’Australie, Arts d’Australie • Stéphane Jacob / Espace Toyota, Avenue des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

Select Bibliography:

Butler, R., 1986, ‘From dreamtime to machine time,’ Imprint 21(3-4), 10. (C)

Caruana, W. (ed.), 1989, Windows on the Dreaming, Ellsyd Press, Sydney. (C)

Caruana, W., 1993, Aboriginal Art, Thames and Hudson, London. (C)

Diggins, L. (ed.), 1989, A Myriad of Dreaming: Twentieth Century Aboriginal Art, exhibit. cat., Malakoff Fine Art Press, North Caulfield, Victoria.

1993, Aratjara, Art of the First Australians: Traditional and Contemporary Works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artists, exhibit. cat. conceived and designed by Bernard Luthi in collaboration with Gary Lee), Dumont, Buchverlag, Koln. (C)

McCulloch, A., & McCulloch, S., 1994, The Encyclopedia of Australian Art, Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd, St Leonards, New South Wales.

O’Ferrall, M., 1990, Keepers of the Secrets, Aboriginal Art from Arnhemland in the Collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth. (C)

Ryan, J., 1990, Spirit in Land, exhib. cat., National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

1974, Art of Aboriginal Australia, exhib. cat., Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada Limited. (C)

Artworks

England Bangala
Fishtrap

C/No: 6322 56cm x 76cm Acrylic on Arches

AUD $ 5,500.00

England Bangala
3 x Nailfish

C/No: 6871 57cm x 77cm Acrylic on Arches

AUD $ 3,000.00

England Bangala
File Snake

C/No: 6879 76cm x 101cm Acrylic on Arches

AUD $ 8,000.00

We are also a signatory to the Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct, which was recently introduced to promote fair and transparent dealings within the Industry.

Aboriginal Fine Arts Gallery is a founding member of the Australian Indigenous Art Trade Association, which was established to promote the ethical trade of indigenous art.

Contact Us

opening Times

Dry Season

Monday – Friday: 9am – 4:30pm

Saturday: 9am – 2:30pm

Sunday: 9am – 2:30pm

Wet Season

Monday – Friday: 9:30am – 3:00pm

Saturday: 9:30am – 2:00pm

Sunday: Closed

England Banggala

Artworks

England Bangala Fishtrap

England Bangala 3 x Nailfish

England Bangala File Snake

Contact Us

opening Times

subscribe to our mailing list

England Bangala
Fishtrap

England Bangala
3 x Nailfish

England Bangala
File Snake