Emu Dreamingby Sabrina Nungarrayi Gibson

This painting depicts a Yankirri Jukurrpa from a place called Ngarlikurlanngu, appromixately 50kms north of Yuendumu. The Kirda of this Dreaming are Nangala/Nampijinpa women and Jangala/Jampijinpa men.

This Jukurrpa tells the story of a Yankirri and a Wardilyka. Yankirri lived at a soakage to the west called warnirripanu, while Wardilyka lived at a soakage to the east called parirri. The emu and the bush turkey used to go around the country picking Yakajirri and mashing them into kapurdu to save in their nests for later. However, they were jealous of each other, the emu thought that the bush turkey was picking the best and juiciest yalajirri and was leaving him with only the sour Yakajirri.

Artist:Sabrina Nungarrayi Gibson
Title:Emu Dreaming
ID:2675/21ny
Medium:Acrylic on Belgian Linen
Size:76 x 76 cm
Region:Yuendumu, Central Australia

Artist

Sabrina Nangala Robertson was born in Alice Springs Hospital, the closest hospital to Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 north-west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. Sabrina grew up in Yuendumu and went to the local school. She now alternates between living in Yuendumu and Alice Springs.

She is one of five the daughters of the acclaimed Aboriginal artist Dorothy Napangardi, who died in a tragic accident in 2013. Since the 1990’s, while often in the company of her mother, Sabrina pursued and developed a creative visual language all of her own, one which consists of a fascinating blend of stylised experimentation and ancient narrative.

She has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation since 2005. She paints her father’s Jukurrpa or Dreaming, stories passed down to her by her father and her father’s father before her for millennia. These stories relate to her traditional land, Pirlinyarnu (Mt Farewell), its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. Sabrina has exhibited in Australia and in France.

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