After deciding that college was not the right path for him, he became an art adviser at Milingimbi Art Centre as art and craft advisor at
Milingimbi in the
Crocodile Islands in 1979, and afterwards as
curator and adviser at
Bula'Bula Arts in
Ramingining, in
Arnhem Land, for 16 years. There he conceived of the concept for the famous
Aboriginal Memorial, which is on permanent display at the
National Gallery of Australia in
Canberra. From 1979 to 1995, Mundine lived and worked in remote Aboriginal communities including Ramingining, Milingimbi, and Maningrida, where he served as an art adviser. He has described this period as formative, likening it to a spiritual pilgrimage that shaped his curatorial vision. Mundine is particularly well-known for his work as the concept artist and producer of the
Aboriginal Memorial. This is a work of
contemporary Indigenous Australian art comprising 200 decorated
hollow log coffins, offered as a commemoration of the
Australian Bicentenary celebrations in 1988; the log coffins represent 200 years of European occupation of Australia. Their design directly references the traditional hollow log mortuary ceremony of Central Arnhem Land, commemorates those
Indigenous Australians who died as a result of European settlement. The work was realised by 43 artists from
Ramingining and neighbouring communities of Central
Arnhem Land, in the
Northern Territory, including
David Malangi,
George Milpurrurru, and
Philip Gudthaykudthay. It was acquired by the
National Gallery of Australia, where it is on permanent display. Its first exhibition was at the
Sydney Biennale in 1988, and it has travelled to various galleries around the world over the years. This led to the inclusion of artists such as
Robyn Djunginy in the 1998
Sydney Biennale. ''They are Meditating: Bark Paintings from the Museum of Contemporary Art's Arnott Collection
(2008) was another major exhibition, which consisted of over 200 objects from the Ramingining Collection. He divided the collection between six different environments in the Ramingining area : Larrtha'puy
(mangroves), Diltjipuy
(forests); Gulunbuy
(waterholes); Retjapuy
(jungles); Rangipuy
(beaches); and Ninydjiyapuy'' (plains). Mundine honoured the intricate
kinship system of Aboriginal culture by using pieces that not only depicted objects in nature, but also represented the histories and social structures of Aboriginal Australia. In 2008, Mundine created an exhibition called
Etched in the Sun. The exhibition was organised held at
Drill Hall Gallery in
Canberra. It consisted of several fine art prints representing years of collaboration between Aboriginal artists and fine art printers. Artwork made between 1997 and 2007 by Indigenous artists such as
Judy Watson,
Banduk Marika, and
Jean Baptiste Apuatimi were included. Another exhibition that he curated in 2008 was the
Ngadhu, ngulili, ngeaninyagu: a personal history of Aboriginal art in the Premier State. It was held at the
Campbelltown Arts Centre, and included work from artists like
Brooke Andrew,
Bronwyn Bancroft, and Badger Bates. In 2017, Djon Mundine curated Four Women: (I Do Belong) Double at the Lismore Regional Gallery. Inspired by Nina Simone’s song “Four Women,” the exhibition examined the complex identities, histories, and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Mundine brought together a range of contemporary artists including Karla Dickens, Fiona Foley, Romaine Moreton, and Wart to explore themes of resilience, cultural belonging, and political resistance. The exhibition emphasized the diversity of Blak womanhood through visual art, performance, and multimedia. It challenged stereotypes and celebrated lived experience. In 2020 Mundine won the
Australia Council's
Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2022, Mundine led "The Dabee Family Choir Mural Project." The project originated from the Jimmy and Peggy Lambert Memorial Mural in Kandos Museum. It was created to honour the lives of Jimmy and Peggy, who were survivors of the Dabee Massacre in 1823. For the exhibition, Mundine had over 60 descendants finger-paint Peggy and Jimmy's images. Mundine has been working on the Dingo Project, an exhibition he curated for Ngununggula, which looks into the spiritual mythology and the history of the ancestral
dingoes. The project also features works from artists such as
Karla Dickens,
Fiona Foley, and
Daniel Boyd. Mundine continues to work as an independent curator of contemporary First Nations art, and as cultural mentor for fellow First Nations artists. He has been working on
Ngununggula's second Entry Pavilion Commission. The Entry Pavilion Commission is an annual initiative in celebrating
Gundungurra language, culture, and history. The exhibition is set to launch on 22 October 2023 and will be open for the public until 26 November. ==Other activities==