On white wings a reminder of one of the greats of Indigenous art
As often as he can, gallery owner William Mora takes a morning walk along the Richmond bank of the Yarra River. In the past few weeks, a curious presence has accompanied him.
âI come around the bend every morning and there are two white cockatoos,â he says. They perch, as if standing a vigil, or fly down to him.
William Mora visits the last exhibition of the estate of Paddy Bedford.Credit:Leslie Haworth
The white cockatoo, says Mora, was the main Dreaming of his friend, celebrated Indigenous artist Paddy Bedford, whose artistic estate he has been entrusted with for the past 15 years.
And the cockatoos have appeared now that, on the other side of the river, an exhibition has been hung on the walls of DâLan Contemporary, representing the final and greatest release from that estate.
Artist Paddy Bedford.Credit:Arnaud Baumann
âIt gets the hairs on the back of the neck,â says Mora. âHe used to put his hand on my leg and say: âDonât worry, Iâll always look after you.â And here I am in 2021, going for my morning walk and two white cockatoos sort of fly down and land next to me on the walking track. I donât know how you explain these things, but itâs a sign to me anyway.
âHe may not be with us, but heâs with us.â
Mora hosted Bedfordâs first solo exhibition in 1998, as his star rose late in life.
Known to family and kin as Nyunkuny or by his nickname Goowoomji in his own Gija language, Bedford was born around 1922 at Old Bedford Downs Station in Western Australiaâs east Kimberley.
The land has a hard history: more than one massacre of the Gija people. Some of his relatives had been poisoned and burned by pastoralists and its shadow was cast on his art. For most of his life, he painted for ceremony, on bodies and boards, as he worked as a stockman, paid with tea, tobacco and blankets.
But the artistsâ co-operative, Jirrawun Arts, recognised his talent â" minimalist but sophisticated and market-friendly, reminiscent of the great Rover Thomas â" and he was encouraged to work on paper and canvas.
Bemberrawoonany â" Brumby Springs 2004, by Paddy BedfordCredit:The Estate of Paddy Bedford
Mora had the privilege of visiting Bedford on Country to watch him work.
âHe was a natural painter, he just loved the act of painting,â Mora says. âWhen he picked up a brush, it just flowed ... he was very considered, and often he would sing when he was painting to bring back the stories.
âHe would do his gouaches in the morning as a way of loosening up, then paint in the afternoon.â
Most artistsâ estates are, to a large extent, leftovers. But Bedford had deliberately put aside canvases, as much as half of what he produced, into a trust â" partly as a canny way of cementing his legacy by providing a trickle of ânewâ works to collectors and institutions, but with proceeds going to support health and education services in the Kimberley.
The estate was to wind up 15 years after his passing: thatâs next year, so Mora decided on a âmonumentalâ exhibition to get the remaining works sold, in the newly expanded CBD gallery of DâLan.
Even if the art is gone (though Mora did buy one work from the estate, years back âwhen I could still afford themâ), he will keep precious memories of a man with an impish humour, of few words but deep.
âHe didnât talk a lot and when he did, he spoke often in language but I got the feeling that he was telling me very important things about law and what he was allowed to paint.â
Success sat well with Bedford, Mora says. His work made him a millionaire, and on visits to Melbourne he would stay in a Sofitel suite and treat himself to a new fine Italian suit. But his purest joy was in painting.
âAnd here we are, sadly it comes to an end,â Mora says. âItâs been an incredible ride.â
I Am The Law is at DâLan Contemporary until December 16
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Nick Miller is Arts Editor of The Age. He was previously The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald's Europe correspondent.Connect via Twitter, Facebook or email.
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