ALMA WEBOU (KALAJU) - BIDYADANGA
ALMA WEBOU (KALAJU)
BIDYADANGA, 2004
166.5 x 100.5 cm
acrylic on linen
PROVENANCE
Short St Gallery, WA, Cat No. 2823
Private Collection, WA
STORY
Alma Webou belonged to the Yulparija people, who left their desert home when the water dried up during the 1960s. This work depicts Pinkalarta, the home where both she and her mother grew up in the Great Sandy Desert near Joanna Springs on Anna Plains Station. In this aerial view of the landscape, she has depicted mayi (bush food) and the jila (living water). Forced to leave her home when the water began to dry up, she settled at the old La Grange mission, now known as the coastal town of Bidyadanga. As a result, her desert imagery is expressed with the vibrant contrasts of the saltwater landscape.