Nguluwodo (The Guardian)

Gift of the Lam Family, dedicated in honor of Helen Groves.

Nguluwodo (The Guardian)

Artist: Terry Dhurritjini Yumbulul (Indigenous Australian, born 1950)

Place made:Northern Territory, Australia

General region:Oceania

Culture: Indigenous Australians (Warramiri language group)

Date: 2007

Medium: Acrylic on Belgian linen

Dimensions:

28 1/4 x 50 3/16 in. (71.8 x 127.5 cm)

Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the Lam Family, dedicated in honor of Helen Groves

Object number: 2016.14.15

Signed: Unsigned

Provenance: Formerly in the collection of Dr. Dorothy Lam; her gift to SAMA

Label Text

With a whale’s tail and ancestral energy radiating from his hands, Nguluwodo, at center, is the guardian spirit of the coral reef found in Terry Dhurritjini Yumbulul’s country of northeast Arnhem Land. As chief of the Warramiri people, Yumbulul is the traditional owner of thirty-six islands and the only person with authority to paint some of the Dreaming stories and designs of this area. This legacy has been passed on to Yumbulul through generations, from his father and grandfather before him.

While Yumbulul’s imagery has ancient roots, he works with acrylic paints on canvas; the materials are more durable than those of traditional bark painting. However, Yumbulul’s palette maintains the four primary colors of the natural ochre pigments used on bark: black, red, yellow, and white.

(Exhibition label, 2017)

Not on view

In Collection(s)

The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.

Artwork

Nguluwodo (The Guardian)

Nguluwodo (The Guardian)