Gullawan Daniel Roque Lee


Dob:            28.06.57
Tribal Name:    Gullawan
Tribe:          Larrakeya
Area:           Darwin NT

Publications:
2001, front cover, Muse, Canberra's arts monthly.
2001 The Oxford companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture,
 Kleinert and Neal., p.626

Acquisitions and Commissions:
Northern Territory Museum of Arts 1995 NT Art Award, 
1Pelican Spirit Figures.
Darwin City Council, Mall upgrade, 1998 "Ceramic Mosaic".
Canberra National Museum 2001, "turtle shell-Larrakeyah 
land claim"

Collections:
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra ACT.
Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences. Darwin NT

Exhibitions: 
1996, Raintree selected exhibitions  "10th year anniversary"
1998, Curator "Spirits of the Dreamings" National Aboriginal
      Cultural Centre, Sydney NSW.
1988, "love magic" Exhibition at Darling Harbour,Sydney

Notes: 
Gullawan also known as Roque Lee was born in Darwin and belongs
to a highly respected family with 6 brothers and 7 sisters. 
Roque was educated in Darwin and began his crafting skills at an
early age. Roque was taught by his uncles to make traditional 
spears at an early age. He also learnt the skill of crafting 
woomeras and didgeridoos but his painting skills were self 
taught and only developed over the last 10 years after leaving 
his vocation as a Parks and Wildlife ranger at Kakadu.

Roque paints from the environment where he lives in conjunction
with depicting the knowledge and stories passed on to him from 
his mother. Roque's totems are Rainbow Serpent, mud crab, tiger
shark and goanna.

Roques' works can be seen on a number of unusual mediums 
including sawfish bills, bone, feather and vinyl briefcases. 
His skill enables him to tackle the most difficult of mediums 
with precision and ease. Roque now resides in Darwin and is 
continuing to pass on his knowledge of his culture to his son.

Back to previous page

© Copyright Aboriginal Fine Arts Gallery