Karrngin Ngarrangkarni (Moon Dreaming)
2002
Medium
earth pigments on canvas
Measurements
80.0 × 60.4 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Presented through the NGV Foundation by Jacqueline Healy, 2003
© Mabel Juli Nyawurru/Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Mabel Juli’s depictions of Ngarrangkarni (Moon Dreaming) explore Gija ancestral stories of forbidden love, kinship systems and the origins of mortality. Here the artist has painted Garnkiny, the moon man, and his two promised wives, Nywana and Wardul, the evening and morning stars. In ancestral times, Garnkiny was banished by the Elders for disobeying the laws of marriage. Every year, he appears in the form of a full moon as a reminder to Gija people to respect the rules of marriage.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Warmun, Western Australia
Accession Number
2003.174
Department
First Nations Australia
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation