Roy Ashley- Darwin/Katherine Region
Artist Biography:
Roy is a senior Wagalak man with homelands in North-East Arnhem Land . He has featured in many Walking With Spirits events and has performed for the Darwin Festival. Muyngarnbi – Songs from Walking with Spirits is his commercial recording debut and had six nominations in the 2008 NT Indigenous Music Awards. He recently performed the concert of Muyngarnbi in Melbourne for Australia Day, in Sydney for world Youth Day and at the NT Music Awards In Darwin, winning the Best Traditional Music category. Roy is Dhuwa and sings the corroboree known as Bunggul (Rittharngu for ‘dance’). He speaks a number of Arnhem Land languages and is a ceremony man throughout the region. Roy features in Tom E. Lewis' recent ABC ‘Yarning Up’ Documentary 'One River', which won the NT Fist Full of Films major prize (August 2008) and an Honorouable Mention at the 2008 ImagineNative International Film Festival in Toronto. Roy is a sought after painter, translating cultural knowledge systems to canvas. He has recently started working with silk screen and other print mediums. Roy lives at Beswick (Wugularr) on the South West coner of Arnhem Land and is a Director of Djilpin Arts Aboriginal Corporation.
