Artist | PADDY KUNMANARA

Artist | PADDY KUNMANARA


Information contained in this certificate may offend Indigenous Australians.

Paddy's birth name is Paddy Pompey, however he changed his name to ‘Kunmanara’ when his grandfather died when he was young.

Kunmanara is a substitute name used when the name of a person is the same or sounds like the name of a person recently deceased.

Cultural law prohibits the speaking of or printing a deceased person's name and image (e.g.

photo). Paddy came to Amata when he was a young man for business where he met and married Janet Inyika who is also an artist with Tjala Arts (formerly Minymaku Arts).

He worked as a stockman, then trained and worked as a mechanic in Amata.

Paddy said he went to Darwin and Adelaide for 'course training' where he learnt to "fix'em car, change tyre, paint'em".

Since marrying, he has remained in Amata or ‘stopped here’ as Paddy says. Paddy had not painted on canvas before coming to Tjala Arts.

Since the men's painting room was established in late 2003 he has joined the other men and continued to paint consistently.

He loves to paint and likes to depict his country and his mother's country around Mimili.

Paddy is a quiet, unassuming, gentle, man who unfortunately suffers from Parkinson's disease and whose mobility has been hindered by injuries receive in a motor vehicle accident in around 2002..



Information contained in this certificate may offend Indigenous Australians.

Paddy's birth name is Paddy Pompey, however he changed his name to ‘Kunmanara’ when his grandfather died when he was young.

Kunmanara is a substitute name used when the name of a person is the same or sounds like the name of a person recently deceased.

Cultural law prohibits the speaking of or printing a deceased person's name and image (e.g.

photo). Paddy came to Amata when he was a young man for business where he met and married Janet Inyika who is also an artist with Tjala Arts (formerly Minymaku Arts).

He worked as a stockman, then trained and worked as a mechanic in Amata.

Paddy said he went to Darwin and Adelaide for 'course training' where he learnt to "fix'em car, change tyre, paint'em".

Since marrying, he has remained in Amata or ‘stopped here’ as Paddy says. Paddy had not painted on canvas before coming to Tjala Arts.

Since the men's painting room was established in late 2003 he has joined the other men and continued to paint consistently.

He loves to paint and likes to depict his country and his mother's country around Mimili.

Paddy is a quiet, unassuming, gentle, man who unfortunately suffers from Parkinson's disease and whose mobility has been hindered by injuries receive in a motor vehicle accident in around 2002..