Warmurrungu
2011
- Medium
- synthetic polymer paint on canvas
- Measurements
- 207.7 × 149.1 cm
- Place/s of Execution
- Tjukurla, Western Australia
- Inscription
- inscribed (inverted) in fibre-tipped pen on reverse l.l.: Tjarlirli Arts
inscribed (inverted) in fibre-tipped pen on reverse l.c.: Nyarapayi Giles - Accession Number
- 2013.41
- Department
- First Nations Australia
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, NGV Supporters of Indigenous Art, 2013
© Nyarapayi Giles, courtesy of Tjarlirli art, Tjukurla
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation - Gallery location
- Gallery 3
Ground Level, NGV Australia - About this work
-
Nyarapayi’s paintings represent Warmarrungu, a site near her birthplace, Karku, where ochre is gathered for ceremonies. In their creation story, many emus journeyed into rockholes as depicted in this painting, some transforming into trees. The ochre is carefully dug up with a stick, and Nyarapayi paints the emu spirits released during the ceremony, allowing them to return to physical form. Her work traces the emus’ travels, marking the rockholes where they stopped along their journey. A continued theme throughout Nyarapayi’s practice is this Dreaming, telling the story of the emus’ movement before time began.
