Paddy Sims Japaljarri

Born: 		1916 
Died: 		2010 
Region: 		Tanami Desert 
Community: 	Yuendumu 
Outstation: 	Kunajarrayi 
Language: 	Warlpiri 
Social Affiliation: 	Japaljarri subsection 
 
Subjects and Themes: 
Personal totems are Snake, witchetty grub, star, initiated man. 
Paints milky way, witchetty grub, snake, bush plum.  

Awards:		
2001 - Telstra Work On Paper Award, The 18th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Telstra.  

Collections held:	
Akadamie der Kunste, Berlin. 
Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvingrove, Glasgow. 
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. 
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth. 
Australian Museum, Sydney. 
Australian National Gallery, Canberra. 
Donald Kahn collection, Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami. 
Flinders University Collection. 
Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, U.S.A. 
Musee des Arts Afrique et Oceanie, Paris, France. 
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. 
Queensland University of Technology Art Museum, Brisbane. 
Seattle Art Museum, USA. 
South Australian Museum, Adelaide. 

Exhibitions:	
2004 - Paddy Japaljarri Sims, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne. 

Group Exhibitions: 
2005 - Yilpinji, Love, Magic and Ceremony, Galerie DAD, Mantes-la-Jolie, France; Warlukurlangu 
Artists from Yuendumu, NT, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney. 
2004 -> 2005 - Puerta Abierta al Dreamtime: Art Aborigen de Australia (Open Door to Dreamtime: 
Aboriginal Art of Australia), Centre Cultural De Caixa De Girona (in conjunction with Alcaston 
Gallery), Spain. 
2004 - Melbourne Art Fair, represented by Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne. 
2003 - Warlukurlangu Artists, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne; Black and White. Colour. Seeing 
country in two ways, Counihan Gallery in conjunction with Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne. 
2002 - The Warlukurlangu Collection, Parliament House, Canberra. 
2001 - 2002 - Land of Diversity, The Northern Territory, at Hogarth Galleries, Paddington. 
2001 - Dixieme Biennale Internationale de la Gravure, Arts d'Australie Stephane Jacob / Sarcelles; 
Australie,Visages d'un continent, Arts d'Australie Stephane Jacob / Galerie Visages de l'Art, 
Marly-le-Roi; Yuendumu Door Etchings, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; 18th National 
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (Works on paper), Museum and Art Gallery of the 
Northern Territory, Darwin. 
2000 - Accents Australiens, Arts d'Australie Stephane Jacob / Espace Adamski Designs, Paris; 
Paintings and Prints, Northern Territory University, Darwin; Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne. 
1999 - Art and Place, Northern Territory University, Darwin; Spirit Country, Fine Arts Museums 
of San Francisco, USA. 
1994 - Dreamings - Tjukurrpa: Aboriginal Art of the Western Desert; The Donald Kahn collection,
 Museum Villa Stuck, Munich; Chicago Art Fair, Chicago, USA. 
1993 - Central Australian Aboriginal Art and Craft Exhibition, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs; 
Tjukurrpa, Desert Dreamings, Aboriginal Art from Central Australia (1971-1993), Art Gallery of
 Western Australia, Perth WA; National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Art Award,
 Australian Heritage Commission, Old Parliament House, Canberra; La Peinture des Aborigenes 
d'Australie, Musee des Arts d'Afrique et d'Oceanie, Paris; Chicago International New Art Forms 
Exposition, Chicago, USA; Dreaming the World, St.Mungo's Museum, Glasgow, Scotland; Aratjara - Art
 of the First Australians, Hayward Gallery, London, UK. 
1992 - Central Australian Aboriginal Art and Craft Exhibition, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs; 
Crossroads - Towards a New Reality, Aboriginal Art from Australia, National Museums of Modern Art, 
Kyoto and Tokyo. 
1991 - Jukurrpa, le temps des reves, Australian Embassy, Paris; Flash Pictures, National Gallery 
of Australia; Australian Aboriginal Art from the Collection of Donald Kahn, Lowe Art Museum, 
University of Miami, USA; The Painted Dream: Contemporary Aboriginal Paintings from the Tim 
and Vivien Johnson Collection, Auckland City Art Gallery and Te Whare Taonga o Aoteroa National 
Art Gallery, New Zealand; Canvas and Bark, South Australian Museum, Adelaide. 
1990 - l'ete Australien a' Montpellier, Musee Fabre Gallery, Montpellier, France; Friends of the 
Earth Gallery, Melbourne; Dreamings: Aboriginal Art from the Outback, South Australian Museum, 
Adelaide. 
1989 - Mythscapes, Aboriginal Art of the Desert, National Gallery of Victoria; Dreamscapes, 
Mendelson Gallery, Pittsburgh, USA; Magiciens de la Terre, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France. 
1988 - Dreamings, the art of Aboriginal Australia, The Asia Society Galleries, New York. 
1987 - Blaxland Gallery, Sydney. 
1986 - Editions Gallery, Perth. 
1985 - Araluen Centre for Arts and Entertainment, Alice Springs.  
      
Select Bibliography:
Australian Aboriginal Art from the Collection of Donald Kahn, 1991, Lowe Art Museum, 
University of Miami, USA. 

Caruana, W., 1987, Australian Aboriginal Art, a Souvenir Book of Aboriginal Art in the Australian 
National Gallery, Australian National Gallery, Parkes, Australian Capital Territory. (C). 

Caruana, W. (ed.), 1989, Windows on the Dreaming, Ellsyd Press, Sydney. (C). 

Caruana, W., 1993, Aboriginal Art, Thames and Hudson, London. (C). 

Crossman, S. and Barou, J-P. (eds), 1990, L'ete Australien a Montpellier: 100 Chefs d'Oevre 
de la Peinture Australienne, Musee Fabre, Montpellier, France. (C)
 
Dussart, F., 1993, La Peinture des Aborigines D'Australie, Editions Parentheses, Marseille, France.

Johnson, V., 1994, The Dictionary of Western Desert Artists, Craftsman House, East Roseville, 
New South Wales. (C) 

Ryan, J., 1989, Mythscapes Aboriginal Art of the Desert from the National Gallery of Victoria,
 exhib. cat., National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. (C) 

Sutton, P. (ed.), 1988, Dreamings: the Art of Aboriginal Australia, Viking, Ringwood, Victoria. (C).
 
Wallace, D., Desmond, M., Caruana, W., 1991, Flash Pictures, exhib. cat., National Gallery of 
Australia, Canberra.
 
Warlukurlangu Artists, 1987, Kuruwarri Yuendumu Doors, AIAS, ACT. 

1993, Tjukurrpa Desert Dreamings, Aboriginal Art from Central Australia (1971-1993), 
exhib. cat., Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth. (C).

© Discovery Media, Documentation Pty Ltd, and the Australian 
Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies



Details
Paddy Sims Japaljarri's country is west of Yuendumu but he has lived in Yuendumu since 
he was a young single man. Back when there were no clothes, Walpiri people wore hair string 
belts that they made. When Paddy Sims Japaljarri was young he worked sawing mulga trees for 
the wood and for fuel for fires. Paddy was also involved with gardening and farming in 
the Yuendumu district. This included growing watermelons, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and 
other vegetables. The farm was at Four Mile Bore where they had chickens, pigs, ducks and 
other animals. Paddy is married to Bessie Nakamarra and he is warringiyi (grandfather). 

All his life he's been hunting goanna, kangaroo, emu and other animals each day for bush tucker. 
Paddy has passed his knowledge on to many of the young men. This has also lead to him working 
at the Yuendumu school teaching jukurrpa (Dreaming), painting, hunting, traditional dancing 
and bush tucker and has also helped out on excursions out bush, to Alice Springs and to Darwin. 
Paddy has been painting for Warlukurlangu (the Art Centre at Yuendumu) for many years. 

In 1988 Paddy Sims was selected by The Power Gallery, Sydney University to travel to Paris 
with five other Warlpiri men from Yuendumu to create a ground painting installation at the 
exhibition 'Magiciens de la Terre' at the Centre Georges Pompidou. The trip took place in 
May 1989 and the painting was received with worldwide acclaim.