Pirlinyanu (2003) by Julie Nangala Robertson, Diptych with 8034JR, size 31x61cm Cat 8035JR

This is a diptych with Cat 8034JR, each panel measuring 30x60cm, priced individually.

Julie depicts her Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming), which is associated with her father’s traditional country of Pirlinyanu, a rocky outcrop in the Tanami Desert, west of Yuendumu and towards the WA border.

This rocky country with its significant waterholes and plentiful bush tucker is one of many significant locations for the Water Dreaming because if you know which rocks to move you always have access to fresh water in the deep natural occurring wells of Pirlinyanu. Without this knowledge one could imagine there was no water in this desert landscape.

Julie Nangala Robertson is the winner of the 2023 Telstra Aboriginal Art Award in Best Painting Category.

The eldest of the five daughters of Dorothy Napangardi Robinson, Julie has recently changed the spelling of her surname from Robinson to Robertson, as she feels that her father, Windy, had misspelt their surname, as Julie's other relatives in Yuendumu are all Robertson.