Mimi Dancing by Billy Dullman, Arches Paper, 101x33cm WOP15

This luminous painting in natural ochres on Arches paper by the celebrated Arnhem Land artist Billy Dullman captures the spellbinding presence of Mimis Dancing —one of the most evocative subjects in northern Australian cosmology.

The Mimi spirits are depicted as slender, elongated beings, light of body and animated with energy, moving in a graceful ceremonial dance. Their lithesome forms seem almost airborne, as if carried by rhythm rather than gravity, embodying a world that exists just beyond ordinary human perception. These spirit figures are both playful and powerful, alluring yet fragile, and are said to retreat to rock crevices during strong winds to protect their delicate bodies.

Within Kunwinjku tradition, the Mimi are revered as ancient teacher spirits who existed before human occupation of the land. It was they who instructed people in the fundamentals of life: how to hunt and prepare food, how to make love, sing, dance and paint, and how to conduct ceremony. Through these teachings, the Mimi established the foundations of cultural knowledge, creativity and survival, making them central to both spiritual belief and artistic expression in Arnhem Land.

Billy Dullman (c. 1946–2009) was one of the most respected artists of Western Arnhem Land. He belonged to the Rembarrnga language group of the Yirritja moiety and came from the Malimali region in the stone country south of Maningrida. Of the Nawakadj subsection and the Lambirra clan, Dullman was a senior Kunwinjku artist from Gunbalanya (Oenpelli).

Working primarily in ochres on bark and paper, Dullman painted within the rich classical traditions of Arnhem Land art. His subject matter ranged from powerful ancestral beings such as Namorrorddo spirits and crocodiles to scenes of everyday life, always grounded in deep knowledge of Country and law. In this painting, his assured line, subtle use of natural pigment and rhythmic composition bring the Mimi to life, inviting the viewer into a realm where movement, ceremony and ancestral memory converge.

The result is a work that is both enchanting and authoritative—an image that speaks of ancient knowledge passed down through countless generations, and of the enduring vitality of Arnhem Land culture.