Ngukurr is a small but vital community, situated on the Roper River, in the wetlands of south-eastern Arnhem Land. Although it evolved from Roper River Mission (established 1908) it has retained a strong sense of traditional cultural identity. The aboriginal painting movement arrived at the community relatively late – in 1987 – but it created an immediate cultural energy and excitement. Ngukurr art rapidly achieved a reputation for its dynamism – its combination of the novel and the traditional, its bold use of colour, its innovative sense of design.
The Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery has long championed the work of Ngukurr artists, mounting exhibitions of paintings by Sambo Barra Barra and Amy Johnson, Willie Gudapi, Barney Ellaga, and the Joshua Sisters (Gertie Huddleston, Angelina George, Dinah Garadtji and Eva Rogers).
