Emmanuel Wurrkidj is an Aboriginal artist from the Maningrida community in Arnhem Land, Northern Australia. He creates wooden sculptures painted with natural pigments to evoke the Mimih spirits.

The people of western Arnhem Land believe that the Mimih spirits had a social organization similar to that of Aboriginal people, and that their society existed before humans. These spirits are said to have taught the first humans how to survive in the rocky landscape of Arnhem Land, showing them how to hunt and butcher game, and how to dance, sing, and paint.

The very abstract and “minimalist” way the facial features are painted on the sculptures also calls to mind the ceremonial masks used by initiated people to honor the Mimih spirits.