Gordon Barney was born and grew up on Alice Downs Station. His father taught him stock-work and he became known as a skilled horse-breaker and buck-jumper (rodeo rider). When Gordon worked as a stockman, he would often carry with him a saddle bag for his ochre collection. At the end of his mustering stint, he would have a bagful of ochres that he sourced from riding through his country. Whilst working on Mabel Downs Station, Gordon met Shirley Purdie who later became his wife. Shirley is a well-known senior Warmun artist who encouraged Gordon to paint his country.
He started painting in 1998 when Warmun Art Centre commenced operation, often painting various hill lines located in his traditional country. Barney’s sense of concentration and focus on country are often reflected in these landscapes. Gordon is well known in Warmun Community as a strong law and culture man and was as an important ceremonial dancer.
Source: Short Street Gallery
Themes
Massacre stories from the south side of Purnululu
Ngarranggarni (Dreaming) stories from Birrno – Alice Downs Station Country
Station life on Alice Downs Station
Solo Exhibitions
2007 Bett Gallery, Hobart, TAS
Group Exhibitions
2021 The Summer Collectors Show – Everywhen Artspace, Flinders, VIC
2020 The Ochre Story – Japingka Aboriginal Art, Fremantle, WA
2020 Badem Mawoondool – red ochre, white ochre – Aboriginal Contemporary, Sydney
2019 “Connection to Country” Fundraiser exhibition, Form Gallery, Perth WA –
Environmental Defenders Office of WA exhibition
2019 “Manparra” Big Boss Man – Male Masters Show, Short Street Gallery, Broome
2019 Warmun Artists / Whenua – Tim Melville Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
2019 Desert River Sea, AGWA, Perth WA
2018 Warmun at Twenty Exhibition, Nancy Sever Gallery, Canberra
2018 Art for Wellbeing, Boab Health Services- Kununurra, WA
2018 Connections:Microscopy Exhibition, Power house Museum, Sydney, NSW
2018 GIJA Exhibition, Woolloongabba Art Gallery, QLD
2017 Environs Kimberley Group Show, Kidogo Art House Fremantle
2016 Family Connections, Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
2015 LIVELY: New Prints from Warmun Arts – Nomad Arts, Darwin NT
2014 Warmun: Gija Contemporary Art of Western Australia – Harvey Art Projects, USA
2014 Warmun Aboriginal Art – Art Images Gallery, Adelaide, SA
2013 Earth: Ochre Painting from Warmun – Tim Melville Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
2012 CCAE – Darwin, NT
2011 Where Knowledge Comes From, Gadfly Gallery – Perth Concert Hall, Perth, WA
2010 Warmun – Our Earth Our Story – Art Images Gallery, Norwood, SA
2010 Ochres of the Kimberley – Tunbridge Gallery, Margaret River, WA
2010 Kimberley Aboriginal Artists, Cross Cultural Art Exchange – Darwin, NT
2009 Warmun Ochres: Rich Earth – Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA
2009 Ochre Dreaming: Stories from the East Kimberley – ReDot Gallery, Singapore
2009 Warnarran Gelengen : Old Times New Times – Hogarth Galleries, Sydney,
NSW
2009 Sharing Difference on Common Ground: Mangkaja, Mowanjum, Waringarri,
2008 Warmun – Holmes a Court Gallery, Perth, WA
2008 Ten Years of Warmun Ochres – Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT
2008 New Voices in Gija Art – Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, Vic
2008 Warmun at Ten, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin. NT
2008 Ten Years of Warmun Ochres, Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT
2008 New Voices in Gija Art, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
2008 Mungowum Ngarraknaari Yaarun (Strong Stories, Strong Culture), Short St
Gallery Broome, WA
2007 Ochre, Brushes, Canvas: new work from Warmun, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney,
NSW
2007 Warmun Snapshot, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin, NT
2007 Greetings from Turkey Creek, Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2007 Warmun Artists in New York, Ralph Pucci Gallery, New York, USA
2007 From the Bungalow II: Kimberley and the Top End, Johnston Gallery, Perth, WA
2006 What bird is that?, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2006 Gentlemen from Warmun, Seva Frangos Art, Perth, WA
2006 Warmun Art Centre Presents, Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2005 New Work from Warmun, Gladfly Gallery, Perth, WA
7 Short St, PO Box 1550 , Broome Western Australia 6725 p: 08 9192 6116 / 08 9192 2658
e: [email protected] www.shortstgallery.com
2004 Warmun Group Exhibition, Sydney, NSW
2003 Ngarrgooroon, Yiyili & Yarangka, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2002 All that Gija Country, Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, SA
2002 Thornquest Gallery, Gold Coast, QLD
2002 Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
2002 Im Land ist das Sein. Kunst aus Australien (Land is life. Art from Australia),
Jagdschloss Granitz, Binz, Rugen, Germany
2002 Beyond Wings, Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, SA
2002 Shirley Purdie and Gordon Barney, Framed Gallery, Darwin, NT
2002 Easter Group Show, Bett Gallery, Hobart, TAS
2002 “Collectors Show”, in conjunction with Seva Frangos, Span Galleries,
Melbourne, VIC
2002 All That Gija Country, Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, SA
2001 Past Modern, Australia Square, Sydney, NSW
2001 Ochre, Short st. Gallery, Broome, WA
2001 Chapel Off Chapel Gallery, South Melbourne, VIC
2001 Thornquest Gallery, Gold Coast, QLD
2001 Ochres Show, Short st. Gallery, Broome, WA
2001 Richies Mill Gallery, Launceston, TAS
2001 In Celebration – Peter Baillie Acquisitive Exhibition, Flinders University Art
Museum, Adelaide, SA
2000 Kunst Der Aborigines, Galerie Baehr, Dormagen, Germany
2000 Kunst Der Aborigines, Galerie Baehr, Leverkusen, Germany
2000 Adelhausermuseum, Freiburg, Germany
2000 Galerie Australis, Adelaide, SA
2000 Ben Grady Gallery, Canberra, ACT
2000 Bett Gallery Hobart, TAS
2000 Commonwealth Institute, London, UK
2000 State of My Country, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2000 Michael Carr Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2000 Melbourne Art Fair (Artbank & Bett Gallery Hobart)
1999 Gallery Gabriella Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
1999 Chamber of Commerce, Wurzburg, Germany
1999 Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin, NT
1999 Hale School annual Art Exhibition, Perth, WA
1999 Japingka Gallery, Fremantle and Perth, WA
1999 Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
1999 Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
Collections
Kerry Stokes Collection
Artbank
Chartwell Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki
Private Collections in Australia, Germany & USA
Voituron Collection, Belgium