Paddy Fordham was born in his father’s country at Barndibu between Malnjangarnak and Bulma. Paddy was nine years old when his family moved to a ration depot at Marranboy during World War II.
Paddy attended school for a short time at the government settlement of Dandangle before becoming a stockman. Paddy worked at various cattle stations from Mataranka to VRD, Killarney and Gorie Stations. Paddy later moved to Oenpelli, Goulburn Island and Millingimbi. By 1962, after the introduction of citizen rights for Aboriginal people, Paddy retired as a stockman and lived in the settlement of Maningrida, staying there almost 20 years before returning to live with his Rembarrnga relations at Beswick.
In the early 1980’s, Paddy began producing his own work on bark to sell. Paddy now uses canvas and handmade paper mediums to preserve his stories.
Paddy remains in a class of his own. His passion for story telling, in itself a strong Aboriginal tradition, leads him to paint Rembarrnga mythologies. Paddy paintings also serve as a record of the history of the regions he has lived in – especially records of black Australian history.
Paddy’s works are fused narratives of north-east and figurative work of Western Arnhemland. Few artists’ work produce pictorial paintings telling a sequence of events in narration. Paddy is a skilful painter, storyteller and historian. Memorable works relate to the events of World War II, the introduction of Christianity, of welfare rations, differences between black and white law and the Rembarrnga story about Captain Cook, recorded in the film ‘Too Many Captain Cooks’. During the bicentennial year Paddy travelled to Canberra for the opening of the Hollow Log Memorial at the Australian National Gallery. The Memorial was a tribute to all Aboriginal people who have died as a result of European contact. Paddy painted 30 of the 200 poles painted for the memorial.
Winner of the National Australian Aboriginal Art Award in 1993, Paddy also has works in the White House in Washington D.C., and also the Australian National Gallery, Canberra.
Paddy’s paintings often depict the ancient Mimi Spirit, one of the ancestors who taught the first people about ceremony and dances, body art designs and songs. Paddy is an important Rembarrnga ceremonial leader keeping ceremonial duties and actions alive through his works. In his country he is called ‘big man’, that is an important aboriginal elder. The young can learn traditional ways through works painted by Paddy Fordham Wainburrunga.
