Eddie Blitner Taiita b. 1961

Edward (Eddie) Blitner was born in 1961 and is from the Ngukkurr Community (now called Yugul Mangl) in Naijarlindji country on the Roper River, approx. 270km south-east of Katherine in the Northern Territory. Eddie attended school at Concordia College in Adelaide until he was sixteen years old, and as a young man he worked as a stockman and farmhand. Eddie began learning to paint when he was about 7 years old, and was taught by his grandfather, who would paint on bark with natural ochre pigments.

When he was young, Eddie was at the Gurrinji Strike or Wave Hill walkout, famously led by Vincent Lingiari in 1966 - this eventually led to the return of a portion of homelands to the Gurindji people, and the passing of the first legislation that allowed First Nations peoples to claim land title.

Through traditional pathways, Eddie has earned the permissions to paint the spirit ancestors of his people. He paints using the technique of cross-hatching (rarrk) to depict the spirits and animals of his homeland. His Dreamings include Mimi Spirits and the Rainbow Serpent. He is a sought-after artist, represented in collections around the world.