Barney Ellaga was born around 1941 in the Minyerri region of the Northern Territory. His father was Alawa and his mother a Ngalakan speaker. Alawa Country lies along the upper Cox and Arnold rivers, south of the Roper River and west of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

A senior law man, Barney was a Tjungayi, a cultural leader responsible for ceremony and the keeping of Alawa law. His sons died before him, leaving no one to receive much of his knowledge, and he is remembered as the last songman of his line. He passed away in 2015.

His wife, Tibby Ellaga, first painted alongside him before going on to paint under her own name.

Barney began painting in 1990, and his canvases express a deep, whole-of-Country understanding of his land. He painted his mother’s Country, centred on the waterways and billabongs of the Cox River, along with Sugarbag (native bee) Dreaming, which travels across the land.

Each line stands for a different part of his Country, a way of painting also found in the ancient rock art throughout Alawa land. His lines are feathery and stippled rather than solid, blending foreground into background. The palette is bold and bright, dominated by purples, oranges, reds and browns, and the layered surface shimmers in a way that recalls the late works of Makinti Napanangka.

Alcaston Gallery described his paintings as “pure abstract works created with brilliant saturated colours”, pairing balance with imbalance and harmony with stark contrast for works of great power.