Johnny Bulunbulun (1946-2010), Ganalbingu (Yolgnu) painter and printmaker, grew up on the island of Milingimbi and in Bulman in southern Arnhem Land. He began to paint in the early 1970s, when he also began his career as an arts adviser. At the end of the 1970s he went with his wife to establish an outstation at Gamardi, where he painted with Jack Wunuwun. During this time Bulunbulun received several grants and a fellowship from the Aboriginal Arts Board and was on the Advisory Committee for the arts at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. He was one of the first indigenous artists to make limited-edition prints, and one of the first to make lithographs. A lawsuit he brought against R&T Textiles in 1989 led to the establishment of copyright protection for Aboriginal artworks. He gained a Professional Fellowship from the Australia Council in 1991. His work has been widely exhibited nationally and internationally.
