Pirlinyanu 2004 by Julie Nangala Robertson, 61x61cm

Pirlinyanu (2004) by Julie Nangala Robertson

Julie Nangala Robertson, winner of the 2023 Telstra Aboriginal Art Award in the Best Painting Category, presents Pirlinyanu (2004), a striking depiction of her Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming). This sacred story is intrinsically linked to her father’s traditional country, Pirlinyanu, a rocky outcrop in the Tanami Desert, west of Yuendumu and near the Western Australia border.

The rugged terrain of Pirlinyanu, with its vital waterholes and abundant bush tucker, is a crucial site for the Water Dreaming. Those with deep knowledge of the land understand that hidden beneath the seemingly barren desert lie natural wells, accessible by shifting specific rocks. Without this knowledge, one might believe the landscape to be entirely dry. Ownership of country is passed down patrilineally from father to child, while ritual knowledge is transferred from aunts to nieces (father’s sisters), particularly among those of the Nampijinpa and Nangala sub-sections.

Julie’s recent works utilise an aerial perspective, blending her unique artistic vision with a refined monochromatic palette of blue-grey and yellow ochre. Her paintings exhibit extraordinary optical brilliance, achieved through the deliberate variation in dot sizes and the meticulous overdotting that builds layered shapes and reference points across the canvas.

The eldest of five daughters of Dorothy Napangardi, Julie recently adjusted the spelling of her surname to Robertson, aligning it with her relatives in Yuendumu. Her father, Windy Robertson, had originally spelled it as "Robinson," though most of her extended family carries the Robertson name.

Pirlinyanu (2004) is a testament to Julie Nangala Robertson’s evolving artistic practice and deep cultural knowledge, establishing her as one of the most significant contemporary Warlpiri artists today.