Umari Rockhole
Artist:
Tjunkiya Napaltjarri
(Indigenous Australian, 1930 - 2009)
General region:Oceania
Place made:Australia
Date: 2004
Medium: Acrylic on linen
Dimensions:
48 1/16 x 35 13/16 in. (122 x 91 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the Lam Family
Object number: 2016.14.60
Copyright: © Tjunkiya Napaltjarri
Provenance: Sold through Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, to May Lam and Dr. Dorothy Lam; May Lam and Dr. Dorothy Lam, by gift to San Antonio Museum of Art, 2016
Label Text
The energetically worked surface of this painting recalls dried pigment on skin, as one sees with ceremonial body painting. The painting reflects the unique process that Tjunkiya Napaltjarri developed, of pushing and scratching the paint on her canvas, unearthing layers of previously applied paint.
The Umari rockhole is one of the central sites of the Creation Period and is an important location for Pintupi ceremonies. The ancestral man Yina created Umari when he laid down. Yina and his mother-in-law were both put to death after copulating. In fact, the name “Umari” comes from the Pintupi word yumarinya, meaning “mother-in-law place,” and serves to remind future generations to abide by the proper kinship system.
Napaltjarri was introduced to painting through the Women’s Dreaming (Minyma Tjukurrpa) painting project in the 1990s. Napaltjarri is the mother of Mitjili Napurrula and sister of Wintjiya Napaltjarri, who both have work on view nearby.
(Exhibition label, 2017)
The Umari rockhole is one of the central sites of the Creation Period and is an important location for Pintupi ceremonies. The ancestral man Yina created Umari when he laid down. Yina and his mother-in-law were both put to death after copulating. In fact, the name “Umari” comes from the Pintupi word yumarinya, meaning “mother-in-law place,” and serves to remind future generations to abide by the proper kinship system.
Napaltjarri was introduced to painting through the Women’s Dreaming (Minyma Tjukurrpa) painting project in the 1990s. Napaltjarri is the mother of Mitjili Napurrula and sister of Wintjiya Napaltjarri, who both have work on view nearby.
(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.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
