[4] Born in 1916 in West Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia,[5] Marralwanga derived influence from Yirawala, a fellow artist and elder from his community.
These works reflect the artistic practices of his elders and community, featuring elements of ceremonial and spiritual creatures alongside the cross-hatching pattern known as rarrk.
[6] He is regarded as an inspirational painter not only to such famous artists as John Marwurndjul, but also for his daughter Kay Lindjuwanga, who adapted Marralwanga's stories into her own bark paintings.
"[4] Alongside Yirawala, Marralwanga was one of the first Kunwinjku artists to experiment with painting the subject so large that it takes up nearly all of the available bark space.
[12] Yet, Marralwanga remained true to his ancestral roots even in his experiments; drawing his use of brightly colored rarrk contrasted with dotted lines directly from body designs that would be painted on during ceremony.
[7] Using his unique style, Marralwanga creates pieces that speak as political agents; highlighting indigenous rights to their land as well as the preservation of their culture.