MITJILI NAPURRULA - WATIYA TUTJA (TREE DREAMING)
MITJILI NAPURRULA
WATIYA TUTJA (TREE DREAMING), 2000
214 x 122 cm
Synthetic Polymer Paint on Belgian Linen
REGION
Haasts Bluff, NT
PROVENANCE
Watiyawanu Artists, WA
Private Collection, New York, USA
Cooee Art Leven, NSW
accompanied by a scanned certificate of authenticity from Tony Bond including photos of the artist creating the painting
STORY
This painting depicts several significant elements referring to Uwalki Country, west of Alice Springs. They include Watiya tjuta (trees), sand hills and rocks. The Aboriginal men use the wood from the watiya tjuta to hand carve spears, artefacts and ceremonial objects associated with men's business.
Mitjili lived for some time at Papunya where she watched the men painting and followed their style. On returning to Haasts Bluff she commenced painting in 1992 for the Ikuntji Women's Centre. She soon developed her own imagery by drawing on her father's Dreaming Uwalki, which is the story of the spear straightening ceremony taught to Mitjili by her mother.
ARTIST PROFILE
