Jack Dale Mengenen

Senior Ngarinyin man Jack Dale Mengenen stands as a walking history of the great upheavals that shook the Kimberley during the twentieth century. Born sometime around 1920, Jack Dale has seen the frontier violence, the move to station life and the threat to traditional culture, all of which have marked Aboriginal lives during this time. The sacred Wungud places of the Wandjina have survived into the modern era, providing a framework of Law and culture for Ngarinyin people, that underpins much of their creative output. Jack Dale Mengenen’s work covers political history and spiritual belief – powerful statements of survival in a threatened transitional world.

The exhibition also includes a group of works by two of Jack’s granddaughters, Petrina Bedford and Kylie Bedford, indicating the inter-generational links created through artistic and narrative process.

Jack Dale Mengenen Artist Bio & Artworks

Wandjina Art