PARWALLA, 2002

Important Australian Indigenous Art
Melbourne
22 March 2023
10

ELIZABETH NYUMI NUNGURRAYI

(1947 - 2019)
PARWALLA, 2002

synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen

180.0 x 120.0 cm

bears inscription verso: artist's name, size and Warlayirti Artists cat. 65/02

Estimate: 
$10,000 – $15,000
Sold for $24,545 (inc. BP) in Auction 73 - 22 March 2023, Melbourne
Provenance

Warlayirti Artists, Balgo Hills, Western Australia
Private collection, Melbourne

This work is accompanied by a copy of the certificate of authenticity from Warlayirti Artists which states:

'This painting depicts the country of Elizabeth's father. This country is known for Parwalla and is located far to the south of Balgo in the Great Sandy Desert, west of the community of Kiwirrkurra. The landscape of the area is dominated by tali, or sand dunes. The Parwalla area is a swampy area, filling a huge area with water after the wet season rain. These wet season rains result in an abundance of good bush tucker. The majority of the painting shows the different bush foods, including kantjili, or bush raisin, and minyili. Women, the U shapes, with their wana (digging sticks) and coolimons (sic) are also depicted. The white colour, which dominates the painting, represents the spinifex which grows strong and seeds after the wet season rains. These seeds are white in colour, and grow so thickly they obscure the ground and other plants below.'