"I paint water designs. The water. As it crashes on to the rocks at high tide. Sending the spray into the sky. Rock. Rocks which stand strong. And the waves which run and crash upon the rocks. The sea spray. This is the painting I do. You may spy on me and think that I am painting sacred things. This would be a lie."
Three painted larrakitj – memorial poles made from hollow Stringybark – show Noŋgirrŋa Marawili’s characteristically dynamic mode of painting that brings forth the interconnected energies of places, layering the tangible and intangible forces, phenomena and atmospheres of environments constantly transforming.
Marawili’s use of pink tones reflects a recent innovation – after discovering a discarded magenta print toner, Marawili began using ink from disused cartridges, reflecting Yolŋu philosophy that suggests, ‘if you paint the land you should use the land’. Her work, while not embodying sacred designs, reflects the philosophies of her Maḏarrpa clan and bears the traces of the places she moves through.
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