| Currently at AAG we have works from a remarkable family of artists: Walangkura Napanangka and her daughters, Debra Young Nakamarra and Katherine Marshall Nakamarra. Walangkura was born around 1940 in the desert west of the Pintupi homelands of Walungurru (Kintore). In her lifetime, she has experienced both the displacement of her people and their return to country. Now, as a Pintupi elder, Walangkura’s works hold authority and significance in the interpretation of her story. Her pieces are recognised by their earthy tones and textural quality of her paint. She characteristically juxtaposes fields of small roundels with plains of parallel and converging lines, while large concentric circles ripple through the surface.
Walangkura’s daughters show similar sensibilities for paint and composition in their own interpretations of their Women’s ceremony and Dreaming. At our Opera Quays gallery, Debra and Katherine, having both been born out of their Pintupi homelands, display a defined command of their ancestral stories. Debra’s heavy dots, thick and layered, form bold concentric circles that build upon each other; creating a sense that her imagery is bubbling up and out of the canvas. Katherine’s Women’s Dreaming, on the other hand, references Walangkura’s lined plains. Her imagery, reminiscent of Tingari design, criss-crosses the canvas like an irregular weave.
Taking pride of place is the latest piece we have by Walangkura in the AAG collection. This piece appears as a pared back version of her earlier works, stripped back to emphasise the framework upon which her story is built. It seems almost skeletal. Yet she ensures no impact has been lost as she uses magenta, burnt orange and vibrant yellow to embolden the structure. This piece is even more poignant as Walangkura has since retired from painting due to severe vision impairment. But as displayed in the AAG galleries, her story will continue through the works of her daughters, Debra and Katherine.
Associated Artists
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