LEON RUSSELL BLACK - PUPUNI JILAMARA
LEON RUSSELL BLACK
PUPUNI JILAMARA, 2019
50 x 80 cm
synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen
REGION
Melville Island, Tiwi
PROVENANCE
Munupi Arts & Crafts, NT
Cooee Art Leven, NSW
STORY
Leon went to school on the mainland until, in his teenage years, his family returned to his Tiwi grandfather’s country at Garden Point on Melville Island.
During Ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, a series of 'yoi' (dances) are performed; some are totemic (inherited from the person's mother) and some serve to act out the narrative of newly composed songs. Participants in these ceremonies are painted with ochre in varying colours and designs. This provides protection against Mopididi (spirits). These designs (Jilamara) can be applied by the finger, a brush, or a traditional comb carved from ironwood called a pwoja.
ARTIST PROFILE
