Roderick was born in the Presbyterian Mission of Aurukun. He went to the local Aurukun school which was, in those days, a boys and girls dormitory.  When he was a young man Roderick worked in labouring jobs around Queensland.

Carving has always been a part of Roderick’s life; he learnt the skills of carving as he watched his elders make sacred carvings for ceremonies.  Roderick first started making his own carvings in the early 1990’s and was one of the artists selected to work with Urban Art Project “Old Way – New Way” project, reworking the traditional ceremonial sculptures into bronze and aluminium masterpieces.

“I was out there with the old people when they were carving. I sat there with old people and took notice. I see all the old people carving for the dance festival. Ready for the festival. They start teaching me. And painting it the proper way.  The right paints on the carving. They told me to sit down. I sit down with those old people. They said: “Don’t just carve anything that doesn’t belong to you. Do your own totems: dog, brolga, mud shell.” And I start learn, bit by bit, each day every day. Then I knew what to do, what to carve what ochre paints to use.”

Totems: (Father)  Brolga, dog, mud shell; (Mother) unknown.

 

EXHIBITIONS

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2023

Aak Min Exhibition, Vault Gallery, Aboriginal Art Co, Brisbane, 2023

Aak Puul: Art from the Wik & Kugu Region, The Brunswick Street Gallery, 2022

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2022

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2021

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2020

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2019

Sydney Contemporary 2018

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2017

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2016

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2015

 

Exhibition History

2018 Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair 2018, Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal, Cairns QLD

2019 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2019, Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal, Cairns QLD

2019 Salon des Refusés 2019, Charles Darwin University Art Gallery, Darwin NT

2014 My Country: Contemporary Art from Black Australia, curated by Bruce McLean, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

2013 My Country, I Still Call Australia Home, Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Brisbane QLD

2017 My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Queensland. Touring Exhibition, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville QLD

2016 My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Queensland. Touring Exhibition, Toowoomba Regional Gallery, Toowoomba QLD

2017 My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Queensland. Touring Exhibition, Caboolture Regional Art Gallery, Caboolture QLD

2019 My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Queensland. Touring Exhibition, Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum, Gladstone QLD

2017 My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Queensland. Touring Exhibition, Gympie Regional Gallery, Gympie QLD

2016 My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Queensland. Touring Exhibition, Logan Art Gallery, Logan QLD

2017 My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Queensland. Touring Exhibition, Redland Art Gallery, Redland QLD

2016 My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Queensland. Touring Exhibition, Rockhampton Art Gallery, Rockhamton QLD

2013 2013 Summer Exhibition Part II, Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney NSW

2014 Nyiingkan , KickArts, Cairns QLD

2017 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2017, Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal, Cairns QLD

2017 Present Tense. Past Legacy: Present Tense, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne VIC

2014 Totems: Contemporary Carvings from Aurukun, JamFactory, Adelaide SA

2011 21st Century: Art In the First Decade, Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane QLD

2013 MBC @ Sydney Contemporary, Sydney Contemporary, Carriageworks Sydney NSW

2019 Sydney Contemporary 2019, Sydney Contemporary, Carriageworks, Sydney NSW

2016 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2016, Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal, Cairns QLD

2015 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2015, Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal, Cairns QLD

2014 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2014, Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal, Cairns QLD

2013 Gabrielle Pizzi Gallery, Melbourne 2013,

2013 Noosa Regional Art Gallery 2013,

2006 Hogarth Gallery, Sydney 2006, Aurukun Artists

2006 Andrew Baker Gallery, Brisbane 2006, Aurukun Artists

2007 Gabrielle Pizzi Gallery, Melbourne 2007, Wik and Kugu Totems

2008 Gabrielle Pizzi Gallery, Melbourne 2008, Aurukun Sculptures

2008 Andrew Baker Gallery, Brisbane 2008, Wiy Min Yumpan Ngamp

2009 Canopy Art Space, Cairns 2009, Cairns Art Fair

2009 Gabrielle Pizzi Gallery, Melbourne 2009, Aurukun Sculptures

2009 Coo-ee Aboriginal Gallery, Sydney 2009, Sculptures and Painting from Aurukun

2009 Andrew Baker Gallery, Brisbane 2009, Yuk Min: Aurukun Artists

2010 Andrew Baker Gallery, Brisbane 2010, Ach-Umpan

2010 Aptos Cruz Gallery, Stirling, SA 2010, Aurukun Artists

2010 Menagerie, contemporary Indigenous sculpture, touring exhibition 2010-2011, Sydney, Melbourne, Launceston, Brisbane, Adelaide, Alice Spring,Cairns, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo.

2020 Brisbane Gallery of Modern Art 2011, 21st Century: Art In the First Decade