Gabriel Nodea

Gabriel Nodea was born in 1969 at Derby Regional Hospital. He says his early life was complicated because he moved around to different places throughout the Kimberley. Gabriel says his family moved from Texas Downs station to Wyndham, then to Halls Creek, Nookanbah and finally to Warmun. Gabriel attended Ngalangangpum Community school in Warmun and then went to high school in Broome. He was the first student from Warmun to complete year ten. Gabriel has worked for a long time in the Warmun community office and began painting in 2007. Gabriel is a strong Joonba dancer and is an important holder of Gija culture and language. Gabriel says; ‘I paint what I dream. I do contemporary painting about the Dreaming and what I dream, in accordance with the Dreamtime connection and history of my Mother’s people, Gija people.’

Gabriel has a natural inclination towards the Arts, displaying many talents in painting, carving artefacts, singing, song-writing, acting, playing the didjeridoo (as taught to him by his Walmajarri father, Mr. Hanson Boxer also known as Bumbala), playing guitar, peforming Joonba (corroborree), singing Joonba, performing bush ballads and most recently, trying out his hand at script writing and directing a new release Gija short film titled “Warramarn Ngarranggarni (2020).”

Gabriel has had a career in leadership roles. From 1990-2005, Gabriel was a member of Norforce (North-West Mobile Force), has been Acting Chairperson Kimberley Law and Culture Centre (KALAC) and acts as Court Translator and Interpreter when required. He has also worked as a part-time carer in the Disability House in Warmun alongside his duties at the Art Centre. Gabriel is well known as a dancer following performances in Paris and Canada and in 2010, Gabriel led performers invited to the Art Gallery of NSW to perform at events associated with the launch of Art + Soul. Also in 2010 Gabriel travelled to Beijing in China with other artists to represent Warmun Art in the ‘No-Name Station’ exhibition for the year of Australia/China cultural exchange. Since 2009 Gabriel has been employed as Cultural Liaison Officer at the Warmun Art Centre. In this role, he has initiated and built a Joonba (Corroboree) Ground alongside the art centre and is planning further initiatives for new cultural activities for the Warmun Art Centre to make the Centre a cultural hub for the Warmun Community. In 2010 Gabriel completed both Certificate I and II Indigenous Leadership and was selected to complete the Wesfarmers Indigenous Leadership Course at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. In 2009 Gabriel Nodea was elected as the Chairperson of the Warmun Art Board of Directors and re-elected for 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. In 2019, Gabriel received a Specialist Certificate in Cultural Materials Conservation through the University of Melbourne in a joint program with ANKA.

In 2010, Gabriel was also elected as Vice Chairperson of Arnhem, Northern and Kimberley Artists (ANKA) Aboriginal Corporation and representative Director for the Kimberly region. He has sat on the ANKA board for a decade now and continues to play an important role in guiding the direction of the Warmun Art Centre and advises on cultural matters.