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Water Dreaming

Sale price$230 AUD


Size:

30cm x 30cm

Medium:

Acrylic on canvas

Orientation

This artwork can be hung in any direction

Water Dreaming is an original acrylic painting on canvas by Shekina Nangala Sampson, an Aboriginal artist from Warlukurlangu Artists in Yuendumu, Northern Territory.

Measuring 30 × 30 cm, the painting relates to Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming) at Puyurru, a site west of Yuendumu. The ancestral story follows a powerful storm created by two Jangala rainmakers as it travels across Country, passing through significant waterholes and soakages.

The Dreaming includes the journey of a rainbow serpent and the creation of important water sources and landscape features. In Warlpiri painting traditions, circles, flowing lines and other symbols can represent soakages, floodwaters and clouds.

Created through Warlukurlangu Artists, an Aboriginal-owned art centre in Yuendumu, this original painting is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Story from the certificate of authenticity:

The site depicted in this painting is Puyurru, west of Yuendumu. In the usually dry creek beds are 'mulju' (soakages), or naturally occurring wells. The kirda' (owners) for this site are Nangala/Nampijinpa women and Jangala/Jampijinpa men. Two Jangala men, rainmakers, sang the rain, unleashing a giant storm. The storm travelled across the country from the east to the west, initially travelling with a 'pamapardu Jukurrpa' (termite Dreaming) from Warntungurru to Warlura, a waterhole 8 miles east of Yuendumu. At Warlura, a gecko called Yumariyumari blew the storm on to Lapurrukurra and Wilpiri. Bolts of lightning shot out at Wirnpa (also called Mardinymardinypa) and at Kanaralji. At this point the Dreaming track also includes the 'kurdukurdu mangkurdu Jukurrpa' (children of the clouds Dreaming). The water Dreaming built hills at Ngamangama using baby clouds and also stuck long pointy clouds into the ground at Jukajuka, where they can still be seen today as rock formations.

The termite Dreaming eventually continued west to Nyirripi, a community approximately 160 km west of Yuendumu. The water Dreaming then travelled from the south over Mikanji, a watercourse with soakages northwest of Yuendumu. At Mikanji, the storm was picked up by a kirkarlanji (brown falcon [Falco berigora]) and taken farther north. At Puyurru, the falcon dug up a giant warnayarra' (rainbow serpent). The serpent carried water with it to create another large lake, Jillyiumpa, close to an outstation in this country. The 'kirda' (owners) of this story are Jangala men and Nangala women. After stopping at Puyurru, the water Dreaming travelled on through other locations including Yalyarilalku, Mikilyparnta, Katalpi, Lungkardajarra, Jirawarpa, Kamira, Yurrunjuku, and Jikaya before moving on into Gurindji country to the north.

In contemporary Warpiri paintings, traditional iconography is used to represent the 'Jukurrpa' (Dreaming). Short dashes are often used to represent 'mangkurdu' (cumulus & stratocumulus clouds), and longer, flowing lines represent 'ngawarra' (flood waters). Small circles are used to depict 'mulju' (soakages) and river bed.


 



About Aboriginal Contemporary

Aboriginal Contemporary has an enviable reputation for quality, service and ethical trading; not just with our customers but with the art centres from whom we source our work.

This is in no small part due to owner Nichola Dare’s regular trips to some of the most remote parts of Australia and her ability to build relationships with art centres and artists, based on mutual trust and respect. Nichola’s time in Australia’s Western Desert, The Kimberley, APY Lands and Arnhem Land has also given her a deep understanding of the country and culture at the heart of the art we sell.

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