Motorbike Paddy Ngale
Overview
Motorbike Paddy Ngale is the most senior practising Law Man from the Utopia region. His deep cultural knowledge, passed down through generations, is expressed with a visual authority that powerfully connects the ancestral to the contemporary. Each of his works is a living expression of Aboriginal Law and identity, grounded in Country, kinship, and ceremony. Born in 1938, in the bush between Arlparra Country and Utopia Homestead, Motorbike Paddy grew up immersed in the traditions and landscape of the Arlparra and Ngkwarlananim areas. He lives and works at Camel Camp in the Utopia region of Australia's Central Desert with his wife, the acclaimed artist Kathleen Ngale. Their children, Matthew Mpetyane and Elizabeth Mpetyane, continue the family’s rich creative and cultural legacy.
Motorbike Paddy’s canvases reflect stories of life in the desert — his journeys through the bush, time spent in community, and the spirit of movement that earned him the nickname ‘Motorbike’, from his white chopper rides across Utopia. His work encompasses two distinct but interrelated strands. One is grounded in ancestral tradition, incorporating dot painting techniques, ceremonial line work, and symbolic motifs that reflect his deep cultural knowledge and spiritual connection to Country. These paintings often depict Dreaming stories, totemic designs, and sacred topographies, forming a visual map of lore, land, and kinship systems. While the second strand is more figurative and narrative-driven. Through strong outlines and dynamic compositions, these works portray scenes of daily life at the cattle stations, moments of social interaction, and community gatherings, capturing the rhythms and realities of contemporary life in Utopia.
Works
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Untitled, n.d.
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untitled , n.d.
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Curlews in the bush during the day, 2021
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Olden Days Story XXXIV, 2021
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Olden Days Story XI, 2021
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Olden Days Story XIV, 2021
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Owls in My Country, 2020
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Olden Days Story, 2019
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Olden Days Story XXII, 2019
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Olden Days Story XVIII, 2019
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Owls in My Country, 2020
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Rain Dreaming, 2023
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Olden Days Story XIII, 2021
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Olden Days Story , 2021
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Rain Dreaming, 2021
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Olden Days Story XV, 2021
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Olden Days Story VII, 2019
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Olden Days Story, 2021
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Olden Days Story XII, 2021
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Olden Days Story XXXVIII, 2019
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Artist working in Utopia, 2024
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Olden Days Story III, 2019
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Olden Days Story XXIV, 2019
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Olden Days Story IV, 2020
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Olden Days Story VI, 2019
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Olden Days Story XVII, 2021
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Artist Working in Utopia, 2019
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Olden Days Story V, 2020
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Owls in My Country V, 2020
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Owls in My Country I, 2020
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Owls in My Country IV, 2020
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Olden Days Story II, 2019
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Olden Days Story XXIX, 2021
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Olden Days Story, 2019
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Olden Days Story XXXVII, 2019
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Ahakeye (Bush Plum), 2017
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Olden Days Story XXI, 2019
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Ahakeye (Bush Plum), 2017
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Ahakeye (Bush Plum), 2017
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Ahakeye (Bush Plum), 2017
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Ahakeye (Bush Plum) , 2017
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Ahakeye (Bush Plum), 2017
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Ahakeye (Bush Plum), 2017
Exhibitions
Press
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