Ian W. Abdulla

Well, all I want to be seen as is a quiet lad, interesting and someone who knows about history along the river, the way I grew up and about family and things like that.

For a painter who wishes to be remembered as a 'quiet lad', Ian Abdulla has been creating quite a stir over the last 15 years. He is recognised as one of Australia's most distinctive and appealing contemporary visual artists. This book takes you on a journey into the world of Ian Abdulla as he grew up along the River Murray. You'll find the ride enchanting and provocative. As Stephen Fox says of Abdulla's painted chronicles of an Aboriginal life: 'You read the text then view the image or vice versa, no matter which way he has caught your attention, he has told you another story.'

Stephen Fox has worked as Art Advisor to Buku-Larrngay Arts at Yirrkala, Northern Territory, as Director of 24HR Art, the NT Centre for Contemporary Art, and since July 1997 as Director of Maruku Arts at Uluru. Stephen still makes art, has run many workshops, and has been friends with Ian Abdulla since 1988.

Janet Maughan is a lawyer who works for Legal Aid in South Australia. She is as passionate about access to justice as she is about Aboriginal Art.