Background
He was born in Marra country, in the Limmen Bight area of the Gulf of Carpentaria coast.
He was born in Marra country, in the Limmen Bight area of the Gulf of Carpentaria coast.
His first language was Marra, now a critically endangered language. Riley became an artist during the 1950s as a result of his encounter with Albert Namatjira. Riley was known for his distinctive style of using bright pallet to paint a landscape of Gulf of Carpentaria, populated by mythological figures who created the region.
His art is a fusion of "Aboriginal" and "contemporary".
He was referred as "the boss of colour". The National Gallery of Victoria held a 10-year retrospective of his work in 1997.
lieutenant was the first time a public institution in Australia honoured a living Aboriginal artist in this way.