Wuyununu 2, 2004

natural earth pigments on bark

160 x 70 cm

$6,000

Secure payment via Stripe. Prices in AUD.

Provenance: Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala, NT, Cat No. 2407C Annandale Galleries, Annandale, NSW, Cat No. BLA 204 Private Collection NSW, acquired from the above Accompanied by certificates of authenticity from Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka and Annandale Galleries
Artwork story: Wanyubi Marika carries one of the most consequential lineages in the history of Yolngu engagement with Australian law and culture. His father Milirrpum was the third elder and clan leader of the Rirratjingu mala, who represented his people in the landmark 1971 case Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd (1971), the first Aboriginal land rights case heard in an Australian court. Before him, Mawalan Marika had been the original plaintiff in that struggle, and Mathaman Marika, whose work appears elsewhere in this Catalogue, had led the Rirratjingu clan after Mawalan's death. It was the Buku-Larrngay Mulka Saltwater bark painting project that first brought Wanyubi to painting seriously, and his work is held in the collections of the National Maritime Museum Sydney, the Sydney Opera House, and the Kerry Stokes Collection. The subject of Wuyununu 2 is the small seabirds of the Rirratjingu song line and the waters they inhabit off the coast of Yalanbara, the sacred landing site of the Djang'kawu creator beings. Wanyubi wrote of the work: "In Rirratjingu song line and story, you will hear about the Wuyununu, jumping with joy and hear them crying when the sea is calm flat. You will see them playing to each other when they are happy. Durula (sea eagle) circles them when the Bunbitjala yellow tail fish comes up to the surface. The middle stream is the clear water or calm water where Wuyununu travels, and the water with white foam is the windy water." Across the full length of this tall bark, the surface records what Wanyubi describes: the calm clear water of the middle stream where the Wuyununu travel, and the windy water with its white foam on either side. The coastal place of Yalanbara, as he notes, is as important a place as any for the Yolnu people, especially the Dhuwa moiety, as it is the landing site of the Djang'kawu, the major creator beings. It is the sea Country of Yalanbara held in the marks of a man whose family has spoken for it across generations.

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Wanyubi Marika

b. 1967

Region: Arnhem Land
Community: Yirrkala
Language group: Yolŋu (Yolngu) – Rirratjiŋu (Rirratjingu) clan

Wuyununu 2, 2004

natural earth pigments on bark

160 x 70 cm

$6,000

Secure payment via Stripe. Prices in AUD.

Provenance: Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala, NT, Cat No. 2407C Annandale Galleries, Annandale, NSW, Cat No. BLA 204 Private Collection NSW, acquired from the above Accompanied by certificates of authenticity from Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka and Annandale Galleries
Artwork story: Wanyubi Marika carries one of the most consequential lineages in the history of Yolngu engagement with Australian law and culture. His father Milirrpum was the third elder and clan leader of the Rirratjingu mala, who represented his people in the landmark 1971 case Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd (1971), the first Aboriginal land rights case heard in an Australian court. Before him, Mawalan Marika had been the original plaintiff in that struggle, and Mathaman Marika, whose work appears elsewhere in this Catalogue, had led the Rirratjingu clan after Mawalan's death. It was the Buku-Larrngay Mulka Saltwater bark painting project that first brought Wanyubi to painting seriously, and his work is held in the collections of the National Maritime Museum Sydney, the Sydney Opera House, and the Kerry Stokes Collection. The subject of Wuyununu 2 is the small seabirds of the Rirratjingu song line and the waters they inhabit off the coast of Yalanbara, the sacred landing site of the Djang'kawu creator beings. Wanyubi wrote of the work: "In Rirratjingu song line and story, you will hear about the Wuyununu, jumping with joy and hear them crying when the sea is calm flat. You will see them playing to each other when they are happy. Durula (sea eagle) circles them when the Bunbitjala yellow tail fish comes up to the surface. The middle stream is the clear water or calm water where Wuyununu travels, and the water with white foam is the windy water." Across the full length of this tall bark, the surface records what Wanyubi describes: the calm clear water of the middle stream where the Wuyununu travel, and the windy water with its white foam on either side. The coastal place of Yalanbara, as he notes, is as important a place as any for the Yolnu people, especially the Dhuwa moiety, as it is the landing site of the Djang'kawu, the major creator beings. It is the sea Country of Yalanbara held in the marks of a man whose family has spoken for it across generations.