Collection Online
Medium
wood, synthetic polymer paint, wool, cotton
Measurements
48.2 × 51.0 cm
Place/s of Execution
Broome, Western Australia
Accession Number
O.119-1992
Department
First Nations Australia
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased from Admission Funds, 1992
© Roy Wiggan, courtesy of Short Street Gallery, Broome
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work

Roy Wiggan is a Bardi man who was born on Sunday Island in 1930. Bardi people’s Country is situated north of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula. Wiggan is known artistically for creating totems that are used by Bardi people to perform ilma (open ceremonies using objects). In the 1990s, Wiggan made a number of ilma, including these nine. Sunrise with clouds tells the story of dawn along the Dampier Peninsula. The cool blue and green tones of the shaded earth and yellow highlights of the sun, complete with clouds formed with cotton and wool, capture a magical time of the morning.

Physical description
Ilma