Lot n° 177
Estimation :
200 - 300
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 195EUR
Écorce Australie, Emmanuel Wurrkidj, "Dilebong site" title - Lot 177
Écorce Australie, Emmanuel Wurrkidj, "Dilebong site" title
Circa 1970
Dimensions: 1010 x 300 mm
The Kuninjku artists' production of bark paintings is fueled by a love of their ancestral lands, which is the very foundation of their existence. Passing on the knowledge associated with this identity is the common thread linking all the artists' artistic creations. Characterized by "technique, restraint and patience" (Taylor Luke, In "Negotiating form in Kuninjku bark-paintings", Australian Aboriginal Studies, 2008), Kuninjku paintings are distinguished by their high level of excellence. Learning to paint is a long process that takes place within the family clan, with elders teaching younger members traditional techniques, cultural motifs and associated mythologies.
In Kuninjku cosmology, the world took shape with the birth of all ancestral beings from the body of Ngalyod, the Rainbow Serpent. An omniscient and fearsome creature of ambivalent character, Ngalyod is associated with both creation and destruction. Once these beings have been created, she engulfs them forever in the earth. The Kuninjku refer to these sacred sites where the ancestors entered the earth as "djang", and these places are imbued with the eternal power of primordial beings.
Dilebang is one of these important ceremonial sites for the Kuninjku people. The artist Emmanuel Wurrkidj, who has made it the main subject of his work, concentrates primarily on the representation of this site, which he considers to be the most sacred place in his country. Emmanuel Wurrkidj began painting in 2004, inspired by his uncle, one of Australia's leading Aboriginal artists, the internationally renowned painter John Mawurndjul, whose work revolves around Rarrk, traditional painting on poles or bark. Mawurndjul follows in the tradition of artistic mentorship within the family clan, having initially shared his knowledge with his eldest daughter, Anna Wurrkidj, and his wife, Kay Lindjuwanga, who are now both established artists, and then with his youngest daughters, Josephine Wurrkidj and Semeria Wurrkidj.
Emmanuel Wurrkidj, rich in his family's artistic heritage, produces works in which the recurrence of four predominantly orange colors evokes the work of his uncle, while at the same time proposing a distinctive new interpretation and style. He had the opportunity to develop his artistic identity and experiment with contemporary visual forms at the Bawinanga Aboriginal Art Center, founded in the 1970s. This ability to innovate and transcend culturally accepted forms places Emmanuel Wurrkidj among the most talented artists of his generation.
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