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Details
- Place where the work was made
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Gunbalanya (Oenpelli)
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Western Arnhem Land
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Northern Territory
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Australia
- Date
- (1948)
- Media category
- Painting
- Materials used
- natural pigments on paper on cardboard
- Dimensions
- 58.2 x 45.0 cm image/sheet; 76.0 x 63.4 x 3.0 cm frame
- Signature & date
Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Gift of the Commonwealth Government 1956
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 9278
- Artist information
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Unknown
Works in the collection
- Share
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About
The rainbow serpent, Narama, lives with her sons among rocks at the mouth of the Liverpool River in central Arnhem Land. If disturbed by strangers (i.e. non-countrymen) she 'bites' their spirit, killing them. When first angered, she huffs and snorts, then reveals herself in the form of a rainbow.
from Hetti Perkins et al., 'Crossing country: the alchemy of Western Arnhem Land art', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2004
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Places
Where the work was made
Gunbalanya (Oenpelli)
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Exhibition history
Shown in 5 exhibitions
Gamarada, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 15 Nov 1996–16 Feb 1997
Bulada, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 23 Aug 1997–14 Dec 1997
A material thing - Objects from the collection, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 31 Aug 1998–09 Feb 1999
Crossing country: the alchemy of Western Arnhem Land art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 24 Sep 2004–12 Dec 2004
Mountford Gifts: Works from the American Australian scientific expedition to Arnhem Land 1948, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 21 Mar 2009–03 Jun 2009
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Bibliography
Referenced in 4 publications
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Jonathan Jones, Mountford Gifts: Works from the American-Australian scientific expedition to Arnhem Land 1948, 'Mountford Gifts: Works from the American-Australian scientific expedition to Arnhem Land 1948', pg. 1-5, Sydney, 2009, 3, 4.
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Margo Neale, Yiribana: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collection, Sydney, 1994, 26 (colour illus.), 136, 139. plate no. 9
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Hetti Perkins, Crossing country: the alchemy of western Arnhem Land art, Sydney, 2004, 143 (colour illus.), 230.
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Hetti Perkins and Ken Watson, A material thing - objects from the collection, Sydney, 1999.
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