“[This is] a mokuy (spirit) from the Dhuwa moiety. Djuwaḻpaḏa is its name. The mokuy lives in a cave on our country but nobody has ever seen it before. It travelled everywhere that spirit singing and sharing songlines. It is really important for us Wägilak people because we use these songs for ceremony and funerals.”

 “It has tools that it carries with it on its travels (dilly bag, wumera, spear, clapsticks). Sometimes it travels with a waṯu (dog), the dog followed it everywhere. It is a spirit dog and it’s much bigger than a normal one, more like the size of a calf.”

"In the olden days they used to only paint on bark with 3 colours, but I like to use bright colours." – Wally Wilfred

Wally Wilfred is a Wägilak man living in Ngukurr, NT. Wally’s work explores traditional and present day culture with history and storytelling. Developing a unique style, Wally brings together traditional techniques with bold and contemporary use of colour. Wally paints on paper, ŋaḏan (bark) and dharpa (wood). His paintings tell stories, sometimes about culture, sometimes about the effect the munanga (white fella) have had on his people and country since they first arrived with their poisons; sugar, tobacco and beer.

Wally Wilfred has exhibited both nationally and internationally. He has artworks in many permanent collections including the Art Gallery of NSW, the Art Gallery of South Australia, and the University of Wollongong art collection. In 2024 and 2025, Wally Wilfred was a finalist in the prestigious Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards.