<Yuendumu
Acrylic on Canvas, .
76 x 76 cm (30.4 x 30.4 ins)
The Warlukurlangu
Artists' Aboriginal Association's members are Walpiri, Anmatyerre and
Pintubi Aboriginals whose homelands are in the Western Central Australian
Desert. There are approximately 100 practicing artists of varying ages
who are members, with the majority living in Yuendumu, 300km north west
of Alice Springs.
Artists also live at Ngarna, Yinirrimardi and Nyirrpi outstations.
The majority are people over 40 years old whose knowledge of Jukurrpa
(Dreaming/Law) is strong and who are interested in promoting their culture
and educating new generations.
More than fifty percent of the artists are women, which is highly unusual
in an Aboriginal community.
Paintings can be done by individuals, or as the result of collaborations.
The relationships between collaborators are not incidental but according
to a complex moiety system. Painters may be actual or classificatory brothers,
sisters, fathers and sons, aunts and nieces and husbands and wives.
The subject matter of the paintings is "Jukurrpa", roughly translated
to mean Dreaming stories. The stories are religious and describe travels,
activities and lives of spiritual ancestors in the Dreamtime (before men
and women).
Jukurrpa teaches a lifestyle or code of behaviour that encompasses: law,
penalties for breaking the law, understanding and respect for the land,
the conduct of social relationships within one's own tribe and towards
others, manufacture, hunting and gathering foods and ceremonies.
When faced with the brilliantly coloured paintings of Yuendumu for the
first time, viewers sometimes mistakenly assume that the painting must
be "less traditional" than those done with a more subdued earthy palette.
However the artists have access to a range of colours and choose according
to their own taste. Interestingly there are no hard and fast rules for
which gender and age use/prefer certain colours.
Many older people will particularly request bright, non-traditional colours.
The use of dots, especially white, to highlight the symbolic elements
of acrylic paintings, is derived from sand painting, other artists use
an unbroken white line for their designs.
The background dots, often used to create complex patterns and to complement
the main design, is a contemporary interpretation of "wamulu", fluff from
plants and animals that was used as a filler in sand paintings and to
decorate the body.