LANGALIKI LEWIS - NGAYUKU NGURA

LANGALIKI LEWIS
NGAYUKU NGURA, 2012
51.5 x 122.5 cm
acrylic on canvas
 
PROVENANCE
Ernabella Arts, SA 
Private Collection, NSW
Art Leven [formerly Cooee Art], Gadigal (Sydney, NSW)
 
STORY 
Ngayuku Ngura—meaning “My Country” in Pitjantjatjara—is a vibrant, intimate portrait of place by senior Ernabella artist Tjunkaya Tapaya, known also as Langaliki Lewis. Painted with clarity and reverence, the work draws on both ancestral knowledge and lived memory, capturing the intricate relationship between land, story, and the beings that inhabit it.
 
In this iteration of Ngayuku Ngura, Lewis includes the figures of emus, goannas, and other animals, all of which hold deep significance within Aṉangu culture. These are not merely representations of fauna; they are ancestral beings, part of the Tjukurpa—the Dreaming—that created the world and continues to shape it today. Their presence in the painting signals important creation stories tied to the artist’s homeland around Pukatja (Ernabella), in the eastern reaches of the APY Lands.
 
Rendered in fine detail using a soft, earthy palette of natural ochres, the work maps not only the physical contours of the landscape—sandhills, rockholes, water sources—but also the paths of ancestral beings as they moved through Country. The emu, for example, is a recurring motif in Western Desert art and story, often associated with powerful songlines and spiritual teaching. In Lewis’s work, these creatures are situated within a delicate network of tracks, waterholes, and dreaming sites—each mark an encoded layer of knowledge.
 
Ngayuku Ngura is deeply personal. It speaks of Langaliki’s enduring connection to her birthplace, the animals she grew up seeing, and the stories passed down through generations. Through painting, she shares this inheritance—always with cultural care—keeping it alive for her grandchildren and community, and inviting others to witness the strength and complexity of her world.
 
At once a map, a memory, and a form of law, Ngayuku Ngura embodies the truth that for Aṉangu people, land is never empty. It is alive with story, kinship, and responsibility. Through this powerful work, Lewis affirms her custodianship and offers a glimpse of a Country full of life, movement, and meaning.
 
EXHIBITED:
Spirits & Elements | An Exhibition of Women's Stories, May 2025, Art Leven [formerly Cooee Art]