MOLLY KARADADA, Untitled (Wandjina), c.1990

MOLLY KARADADA Wunambal language, c.1930 - 2008 Untitled (Wandjina), c.1990 ochre on bark 48 x 21 cm bears inscription verso in chalk: P5264-OTIT; adhered verso: Aboriginal Arts Australia label attributing the artwork to Molly Koolari, dated 30.05.90 and Sotheby's sticker PROVENANCE Painted at Kalumburu, Western Australia Aboriginal Arts Australia, Western Australia, Cat No. P5264-OTIT Sotheby's, Aboriginal, African & Oceanic Art, Sydney, 9 November 1998, Lot 129 D'Lan Contemporary, Victoria Private Collection, Victoria EXHIBITED D'Lan Contemporary, Sydney Contemporary, 5 - 8 September 2024, Sydney, New South Wales The Wandjina are powerful creation ancestors associated with the Worrorra, Ngarinyin and Wunambal peoples of the north-west Kimberley. Their images appear on rock shelters throughout the region, where they have been maintained and renewed by generations of Traditional Owners. Closely associated with rain, water and the regeneration of Country, Wandjina are recognised by their distinctive frontal form, large dark eyes and absence of a mouth, often surrounded by a halo-like field of radiating lines or dots. They are connected to the monsoonal rains that replenish the rivers, waterholes and landscape each season, bringing new life to Country. Wandjina are also associated with fertility and the continuation of life, with spirit children understood to reside within particular waterholes and sacred places. Their presence speaks to the enduring relationship between ancestral beings, people, water and Country in the north-west Kimberley. © MOLLY KARADADA / Copyright Agency, 2026

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