Goobalathaldin Dick Roughsey (c1920-1985) was a Lardil artist and writer, children’s author, illustrator and a leading political figure in the early years of the Aboriginal Arts Board and Indigenous self-determination.

This exhibition celebrates Goobalathaldin’s work across styles and temporalities which were the hallmark of his transcultural practice. It also features works by his peers and mentors - elder brother Lindsay Roughsey, lesser-known members of the Wellesley Island art movement and artists Percy ‘bush-pilot’ Trezise and Ray Crooke.

Goobalathaldin’s artistic legacy is a bridge between cultures, from master-bark painters at Yirrkala and rock art galleries in Cape York to modernist landscape traditions of the mid-20th century, all put to the service of Lardil pictorial storytelling. The exhibition is a rare opportunity to view and acquire important artworks by Roughsey and his fellow artists.

Dick Roughsey, Boys killing grasshoppers, Mornington Island 1975, acrylic on board, 30 x 40 cm
© Dick Roughsey Goobalathaldin/ Copyright Agency, 2022