Artwork
Three birds
Artist
Alfonso Puautjimi
(Australian, born 1969)
DepartmentOceanic Art
CultureTiwi language group
Date2007
Dimensions22 13/16 x 14 15/16 in. (58 x 38 cm)
Credit LineSan Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the Lam Family
Object number2016.14.44
Copyright© Alfonso Puautjimi
GeographyPlace madeNorthern Territory, Australia
Label TextTextural and expressive, this painting of three birds is based on carved ironwood sculptures (examples of which are on view nearby). The birds symbolize the mourning of ancestor Bima for her son, Jinaini. When her infant son perished, after he was neglected in the hot sun, Bima turned into a curlew (a bird indigenous to Australia), whose sorrowful wails are still heard today. The bird sculptures are also emblematic of the birds that were present at what was the first Pukumani mortuary ceremony, held for Jinaini.
Alfonso Puautjimi is known for his works on paper and his bold application of paint. Beginning with broad areas of color, Puautjimi next applies black outlines, and then finishes with dots and colored lines. Puautjimi, like Estelle Munkanome (whose works are in both this and the Ceremony sections), produces artwork at the Ngaruwanajirri art center.
(Exhibition label, 2017)ProvenanceMay Lam and Dr. Dorothy Lam, by gift to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 2016Exhibition HistorySan Antonio Museum of Art, Of Country and Culture: The Lam Collection of Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art, February 24-May 14, 2017Not on view
Collections
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.
