STEVEN YUNKAPORTA, Wallaby, 2006

STEVEN YUNKAPORTA Wik-Mungkan language, born 1969 Wallaby, 2006 acrylic and ochre on milkwood 75h x 24w x 46d cm PROVENANCE Wik & Kugu Art Centre, Queensland The Estate of Grant Smith, Melbourne, Victoria Private Collection, Victoria Steven Ngakapoorgum Yunkaporta's milkwood carvings draw deeply on the Country, culture and animal life of his home. As Adam Ford observed for Darwin Art Fair, the works "embody what culture must rightfully be: strong, resilient, and regenerative." Milkwood itself carries these qualities. A remarkably resilient timber, it withstands cyclones, fire, drought and termites, while providing habitat for birds and other wildlife. In Yunkaporta's hands, it becomes the natural material through which to depict the animals that surround him — camp dogs, birds and wallabies, each carved with a distinctive sense of movement and character. Through the careful shaping and incising of the wood, Yunkaporta brings together observation, cultural knowledge and an intimate familiarity with place. His sculptures speak to the enduring relationships between people, animals and Country, carrying longstanding traditions of kinship and carving into a distinctly contemporary practice.

Estimate:$2,062.2

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