Banduk Marika Australia (Aboriginal), 1954-2021

Born in 1954 in Yirrkala, north-east Arnhem Land, Banduk Marika received her education at the mission there until the age of 15. Despite the tradition of only allowing men to paint traditional creation stories, Marika was taught this art form. In 1972, she moved to Darwin and later to Sydney in 1980 to pursue her artistic career. In Sydney, Marika began printmaking, which became her preferred medium for the rest of her career. She also organized exhibitions of Aboriginal art and held artist-in-residence positions at the Canberra School of Art (1985) and Flinders University in Adelaide (1986). In 1988, she returned to Yirrkala and became the manager of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Arts Centre. Marika also served as artist-in-residence at the East Sydney Technical College's school of Art and the Warrnambool TAFE. In 2017, Marika and Tiwi Islander Bede Tungutalum were chosen to design a set of four postage stamps with the theme "Art of the North" for Australia Post. Additionally, she was the first Aboriginal person to serve on the National Gallery of Australia's board. Marika's work has been exhibited internationally in countries such as America, India, Egypt, Noumea, and Singapore. Her pieces are represented in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, Te Papa in New Zealand, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

In our database, 10 works by Banduk Marika are listed as being offered for sale, the earliest in 2004, of which 8 (80%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $3,191 for Rulyapa 2007 sold by Leonard Joel in April 2022. No works have been offered for sale this year, and the last sale we have recorded for the artist was in 2023. Works by Banduk Marika are held by the Queensland Art Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria and a further three major public national galleries (see list below).