Provenance
Irrunytju Arts, WA Cat No. IRRWT03022
Marshall Arts, SA
Private Collection, USA
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Irrunytju Arts
Story
A senior Pitjantjara woman, Wingu grew up in the semi-nomadic tradition at Nyumun, close by the rock hole at Kuru Ala, W.A., a sacred place for the seven sisters, Kungkarrakalpa. This story became the focus of many of her paintings.
Though she only painted over the ten years before her death at the age of about 90, Wingu’s success as an artist was striking. She was considered a master of colour, knowing instinctively how to create effects through layers and texturing that make her works comparable to the depth and beauty of the star-filled desert skies.
Wingu didn't illustrate events or depict her country explicitly, but evoked and alluded to ancient imagery drawn from deep cultural knowledge. Her ideas for paintings would often come to her in dreams or visitations from her totemic Eagle Ancestors, who could also forewarn her of significant events.
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