Catalogues124 of 257
Click to enlargeSale 2 · Lot 31
b. 1953
- Region
- Arnhem Land
- Community
- Galiwin'ku (Elcho Island)
- Language group
- Gumatj
Ganiny, 1996
174 x 52 cm
Est. $3,000 – $5,000
Hammer $2,300
- Provenance
- Buku-Larrnggay Arts, Yirrkala, Northern Territory, Invoice No. 238 Private Collection, Albany NY
- Artwork story
- Painted at Matamata, the artist’s homeland, Ganiny depicts a sacred icon for the Gumatj clan group of the Yolngu people. It represents the hunting stick carried by a Yirritja Creator Being during Wayan (the time before Morning), its flight mapped through sacred song (Manikay). The intricate cross-hatching is the distinctive design of the Gumatj, symbolising both people’s ties to land and the elemental fire: red flame, white ash, black charcoal, and yellow dust. Burarrwanga’s execution here is taut and balanced, his diamonds radiating energy while anchored in cultural authority.