AUCTION | Aboriginal Works of Art | 4 June 2019

LOT #74 Pulpurru Davies (1943- ) Kiwarr 76 x 51 cm synthetic polymer paint on canvas $600 - 800 PROVENANCE Kayili Artists, WA Cat No. 07-124 Aboriginal & Pacific Art, NSW The Mike Chandler Collection, NSW accompanied by a Kayili Artists certificate of authenticity Pulpurru grew up living a traditional, nomadic way of life with her family as they moved from waterhole to waterhole in their traditional country. They lived this way up until the 1960s, by which time they were one of the last groups of nomadic people in Australia.

In this painting Pulpurru has depicted Kiwarr, a rockhole where her family used to dig for water. The water is sometimes very deep under the sand and all the family would have to help dig. One person would be down the hole, passing a wooden dish above their head to someone outside to throw the sand clear. Pulpurru has painted this country after a big rain and created a wash, funnelling water to a slight depression. Nearby, there are caves made by a ninu (bilby) digging for minga (ants). Other rockholes that are Pulpurru’s family water sites are also shown, including her birth place Yankaltjunku, Nyukurda and Mirra Mirra, where one of Pulpurru’s sons was born.