Bol'nu Djapu
2017
- Medium
- enamel paint on on laminated aluminium
- Measurements
- 150.0 × 100.0 cm
- Place/s of Execution
- Yirrkala, Northern Territory
- Accession Number
- 2021.605
- Department
- First Nations Australia
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, Victorian Foundation for Living Australian Artists, 2021
© Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, courtesy of Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala - Gallery location
- Not on display
- About this work
-
Presented here in dialogue with her daughter, Marrnyula Mununggurr, senior Madarrpa artist Nonggirrnga Marawili represents stories connected to a place called Wandawuy, the heart of the Djapu homeland. The composition shows the spiritual residence for two ancestral beings, Mana the Shark and Bol’ngu the Thunderman. Rains inspired by the actions of Bol’ngu feed the rivers and fill the billabongs, transforming this sacred landscape. Marawili, who is primarily known for working on bark, has painted this composition onto a scrap of laminated aluminium using enamel paint. This bold work represents a departure for Marawili, and is evidence of a daring approach to contemporary painting.