Pauline Singleton, from the community of Yuendumu in the Central Desert, depicts in her work the Dreaming (Jukurrpa) of the Emeu (Yankirri) which is associated with Ngarlikurlangu, a sacred place north of Yuendumu. This Dreaming belongs to different tribes and illustrates the complexity of the social structures of the desert, which are based on a kinship system that gives each member of society a place in one of eight possible kinship groups. These groups are arranged in pairs, each pair jointly preserving the themes of the art: land, ceremonies and dreams. This painting tells a story that belongs to two male pairs, the Jangala and the Jampijinpa, and two female pairs, the Nampijinpa and the Nangala (the artist's clan). Legend has it that an emu ancestor (Yankirri) travelled to Ngarlikurlangu to drink from a waterhole (concentric circle in the centre of the canvas) where he met Wardilyka, a bustard ancestor, with whom he fought to feed on grapes (Yakajirri) which both coveted. The arrow shapes represent the emu's footprints on the ground and his wanderings through the sacred territory of Ngarlikiurlangu.
Like most Central Desert artists, Singleton uses the technique of dot painting, which is inspired by traditional ritual ground paintings. This technique gives the work the appearance of a real mosaic whose vibratory effect gives the very idea of life and reminds us that for the Aborigines, the Dreamtime does not belong to the past, it is above all continuous creation and energy. |
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