Ngunulum - Cockatoo Springs

In Ngunulum - Cockatoo Springs, 2018 Ben Ward captures his Country during the wet season, when the creeks burst open and flow from Dingo Springs towards the community of Ngunulum, before continuing towards the Keep River. Regarding the work Ward has stated, “This is where I live. I want to show people where I live and where I paint. My Traditional Country. This also used to be part of the major stock route from Northern Territory to Wyndham.”
Ben Ward has been painting consistently since 2011 and is widely recognised for the distinct images of East Kimberley Country he has been painting for the past 5 years. In these works, Ward offers a uniquely personal perspective, employing fields of triangles to depict the landscape. In some instances, Ward is charting areas of devastating land toxicity as he employs contrasting ochres to detail river systems, mountains and ranges he knows intimately. What distinguishes Ward is his technique of geometric patterns within natural ochres. Seeing his Country through his eyes brings out the molecular nature of all living things. A triangle can be a part of a large river system, a toxic waste site, a gum tree or a leaf. In this work Ward has mastered the shapes to give form to the landscape and indicate their movement patterns, especially in the water. No longer do the patterns only act as symbols of Country, they highlight the way that Country moves.