Terry Djambawa MARAWILI

Bäru ga Dhamalinu (Ed. 27/50) , 1996

Art : Aboriginal
Origine : Yirrkala
Dimensions : 56 x 38 cm
Medium : Linocut
Price : Nous contacter / contact us
N° : 528

Djambawa is the embodiment of the contemporary Aboriginal political leader who has used his art for decades to promote recognition of his territorial rights before the Australian Parliament and illustrate the millennia-old culture of his people. 

With this print, the artist illustrates one of the founding episodes of his people's mythology, but he has given little explanation of this legend, as only the initiated have the right to know its ins and outs. Here is the version of the myth that he has been willing to share: while the ancestor woman Dhamalingu was cooking snails over a fire, her husband Baru returned to the camp and was hit by flying embers. Believing that his wife had done this on purpose, he threw her into the fire and then turned into a crocodile. The fire spread to the surrounding area, engulfing all the other tribes. 

This legend embodies the carnage that can be caused by the fire of anger. This painting is accompanied by certificates of authenticity from the Buku Larrngay Mulka Art Center No. 12 B and the Arts d'Australie gallery • Stéphane Jacob, expert in Aboriginal art.