Bradshaws (Gwion Gwion) and Wandjinas

There are two distinctive rock art styles in the Kimberley; Wandjina and Gwion Gwion (or Bradshaw).

Wandjina art is unmistakable and iconic, characterised by round, mouthless faces with large, vacant eyes and halos, which are believed to represent clouds. The Worrorra, Ngarinyin and Wunambal tribes are the custodians of Wandjina law and iconography.

The Gwion Gwion figures (also known as Kira Kiro or Bradshaw) are vastly different. They are characterised by elegantly depicted long bodies, often adorned with tassels, bags and headdresses. Gwion Gwion art is believed to be the oldest figurative art in the world – older than the pyramids of Egypt!

Both types of rock art are scattered throughout the Kimberley, however, the greatest rock art panels we’ve encountered have been within a few kilometres of the coast.

 

The Bradshaw artworks (Gwion Gwions), represent one of Australia’s most enigmatic and visually exquisite rock-art styles. These finely rendered human figures, adorned with elaborately painted accessories such as spears, boomerangs, and dilly bags, exhibit remarkable sophistication.

Prior to the Gwion period, the Naturalistic style dominated—a vivid display of large-scale animals, fish, plants, and occasional human forms, rendered with flowing brushstrokes and solid infill in mulberry and red ochre.

Following the Gwion phase emerged a style known as Static Polychrome or ‘Clothes-Peg Figures’—geometric, schematized human forms characterized by straight bodies, often presented in groups, depicted in red and orange tones, sometimes fading to white or yellow. These figures and are often superimposed over earlier Gwion motifs.

Another notable expression is the Painted Hand motifs, featuring broad, bold handprints often overlaid on earlier art. These motifs display a dazzling array of bichrome and polychrome designs, including geometric patterns, anthropomorphic shapes, and abstract marks. They may reflect aspects of clan identity or serve as territory markers, with likely origins in the Holocene.

To read more about Bradshaw art, check out the Bradshaw Foundation.