Yalboon Painting (Food) | EB-279

DOB: c. 1961

Language: Marra-Alawa

Skin name: Taiita

Group: Barbil

Community: Ngukurr




Eddie was born in Katherine in 1961. He is from Naiyarlindji country and the Ngukurr community on the Roper River, which is approximately 270 km Southeast of Katherine NT.

Eddie's family are renowned artists and carvers. He is also an accomplished yidaki (didgeridoo) maker and is a fine traditional carver. He started painting when he was seven years old, learning from his renowned clan leaders. Grandfathers Fred, Gerry and Donald Blitner as well as other elders taught him how to blend ochre, apply the paint and carve sculptures, all while passing on the stories behind the artworks.

Eddie gained a reputation as a high-profile contemporary artist, winning the the 1998 Australian Aids Magazine “Blue Bell,” and First Prize in the 1999 Barunga Aboriginal Cultural Festival. He was featured in a 1999 Four Corners interview for world-wide release. Since then, he has exhibited his work throughout Australia.