• Country Boundaries

Joseph Williams Jungurayi

Country Boundaries

  

This painting depicts country boundaries, painted on Warrego mine concentrator map.

  • Acrylic on acetate paper (found mining plan)

  • Dimensions: 60 x 84cm

  • Cat No. JW-26-8

Joseph Williams Jungarayi (b. 1978) is a Warumungu multimedia artist, master carver, writer, poet and cultural leader based in Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, Australia. He is a founding member of the artist collective Tennant Creek Brio, a dynamic contemporary arts group that emerged in 2016 from an outreach program at the local men’s centre and has since become recognised nationally for its bold and thought-provoking practice.
Williams’ artistic journey began in the mid-1990s as a teenager learning traditional carving techniques from his grandfathers, Nat Warano Williams Jupurrula and Walter Pula Nelson, who taught him “the hard way” with simple tools. Today he combines this cultural inheritance with contemporary tools and ideas to create works that span painting, sculpture, carving, poetry, performance, installation and film.

His visual practice reflects deep cultural knowledge, drawing inspiration from his Warumungu and Croatian heritages and engaging with themes of identity, Country and ancestral memory. Williams has produced painted works on found materials, reclaiming mining maps and archival imagery to assert cultural presence, and has explored figurative realism in portraits that honour Warumungu ancestors. As an emerging cultural leader, Williams serves on the board of Desart and as a director of the Papulu Apparr-Kari Language and Cultural Centre. He is also one of the last remaining fluent speakers of the Warumungu language in Tennant Creek and often contributes as a community spokesperson and ceremonial singer.

Williams’ work has been exhibited widely, including participation in the 2020 Biennale of Sydney, shows at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), Darwin and Alice Springs galleries, Croatia House (Sydney) and the Vincent Lingiari Art Award. His multifaceted practice continues to bridge traditional cultural expression with contemporary artistic discourse, embodying both personal and collective histories.

Located in the heart of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, Nyinkka Nyunyu Art & Culture Centre is a leading Aboriginal cultural centre, museum and art gallery created by and for the Warumungu people of the Barkly Region. Established through the vision and leadership of Warumungu Traditional Owners, the Centre was created to protect a significant sacred site, preserve cultural knowledge, and share the stories, art and history of Warumungu Country with future generations and visitors alike.

Nyinkka Nyunyu is located beside a sacred site connected to the ancestral Nyinkka, the spiny-tailed goanna, an important creation being in Warumungu culture. The Centre's distinctive architecture draws inspiration from the scales and movement of the goanna, embedding this important cultural story into the design of the building itself. Guided by Warumungu Traditional Owners and operated by Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation, Nyinkka Nyunyu remains a place where art, culture, history and community come together—protecting cultural heritage while creating opportunities for learning, connection and cultural exchange.

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