"Who's that bugger that paints like me?"
Rover Thomas Joolama, a renowned Indigenous Australian painter, was a pivotal figure in Australian art. Thomas' early life was influenced by the Great Sandy and Gibson Deserts. At around ten, he moved to Billiluna Station, working as a stockman and assistant fencer across Western Australia and the Northern Territory, eventually settling in Warmun (Turkey Creek) in 1975.
In Warmun, Thomas experienced a series of dreams that revealed the Gurirr Gurirr, a narrative dance cycle inspired by the spirit journey of his classifactory mother, who died after a car accident in 1974. This cycle, linked to historical events and cultural practices, was performed regularly in Turkey Creek and nearby communities. The Gurirr Gurirr included painted boards illustrating the narrative, which Thomas supervised and later inspired his own painting experiments.
Rover Thomas' art utilized deep red and brown ochre to map the land and its stories, combining planar views and profile views of the Kimberley landscape. His unique style redefined regional pictorial conventions, blending history, mythology, and personal experience.
Thomas founded the Warmun School, influencing many East Kimberley artists. By his death in 1998, this style had become iconic. In 1990, Thomas and Trevor Nicholls were the first Indigenous Australians to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale. His retrospective, Roads Cross, was held at the National Gallery of Australia in 1994. Awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Western Australia in 1997, Thomas' work continues to be celebrated internationally.