Kulama
2012
Medium
earth pigments on canvas
Measurements
150.0 × 219.7 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Robert Martin Bequest and NGV Supporters of Indigenous Art, 2019
© Timothy Cook/Copyright Agency, Australia
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Timothy Cook represents designs associated with the kulama (coming of age) ceremony, which Tiwi perform in pakitiringa, the late wet season, when a ring appears around the moon. At kulama, which coincides with the harvest of the kulama yam, male and female Elders sing and dance for three days, welcoming boys into adulthood and giving them their adult names. The circular forms symbolise the moon, yam and ritual circles of the kulama; the cross reflects Cook’s Christian spirituality and multiple dots signify stars.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Milikapiti, Melville Island, Northern Territory
Inscription
inscribed (inverted) in fibre-tipped pen on reverse l.c.r. TIMOTHY COOK - KULAMA 2012 CAT 4-12
inscribed (inverted) in fibre-tipped pen on reverse l.r. JILAMARA ART -
Accession Number
2019.11
Department
First Nations Australia