Wawilak, sugarbag and gundimulk
1994
Medium
earth pigments on Stringybark (Eucalyptus sp.)
Measurements
262.7 × 55.5 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased through The Art Foundation of Victoria with the assistance of Waltons Limited, Fellow, 1994
© The Estate of Durndiwuy Wanambi, courtesy of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala
Gallery location
Gallery 2
Ground Level, NGV Australia
About this work
The artist represents Wandawuy, the centre of the Djapu clan’s homeland. The grid refers to the landscape of Wandawuy, a network of billabongs surrounded by ridges and high banks, its structure also reminiscent of woven fish traps. Wandawuy is the spiritual residence for ancestral beings, Mäṉa the Shark and Bol’ngu the Thunderman. Wandawuy literally means ‘place of the shark’s head’ – in the song cycles of Mäṉa’s journey, his head came to rest here after he was butchered and scattered through the land. Rains inspired by the actions of Bol’ngu feed the rivers and fill the billabongs.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Yirrkala, Northern Territory
Accession Number
O.87-1994
Department
First Nations Australia
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation