User:Mithralcurrent/Graham Badari

Graham Badari (born 1963) is an Aboriginal Australian artist from the Wardjak clan in West Arnhem Land. Graham Badari belongs to the Duwa moeity and speaks the Kunwinjku dialect. At Injalak Arts, Badari is a popular figure, a tour guide, and a font of community news. Art historian Henry Skerritt describes him as possessing a "impish smile and cheeky sense of humour" and a "unique and eccentric personality"

Biography
Graham Badari was born in 1963 in Gunbalanya and raised at Maburrinj, about 120 km east of Gunbalanya. Badari was raised by the renowned Aboriginal Australian artist Djawida Nadjongorle but credits the late Thompson Yulidjirri as his greatest influence. From the senior men at Injalak Arts, Badari would learn the fluid and dynamic figurative style that defined Kunwinjku painting at the art center.

Though he began painting sporadically around 1990, but in recent years, his career has gained a new focus and momentum. Following the passing of many of the senior artists at Gunbalanya, Badari became one of the leaders of a small coterie of dedicated artists, which includes Wilfred Nawirridj, Glenn Namundja, Gabriel Maralngurra, and Gershom Garlngarr. Badari's paintings draw influence from the rock art heritages at Injalak Hill, though they occasionally have drawn comparison to imagery of western science fiction and fantasy genres.

Works
In 2017, as part of a crowdfunding campaign, Graham Badari, Gabriel Maralngurra, and Benson (Isaiah) Nagurrgurrba would produce ethical Flip-flops in partnership with the Fair Trade company, Etiko, created as an alternative to unauthorized designs mimicking the style of Aboriginal artists.

Collections
National Gallery of Australia

Personal Life
Badari is known to be a fan of heavy metal music, with his favorite band being the Swedish power metal band HammerFall.