Lily Karadada / Rainmaker Wandjina (N-0270-LK)

Artwork is accompanied by Narrangunny Art Traders Certificate of Authenticity/Provenance

Lily was born Prince Regent River area c. 1921.  From her father’s country, Woombangowangoorr, she went with her mother and family to Mitchell Plateau.  She married Jack Karadada and during the war, teenaged Lily and husband Jack, made the long walk north to Kalumburu, where they lived in a cave in the adjacent hills for many months, waiting out the Japanese bombing raids on the mission, before moving in and making a home with her huge extended and very talented family.

Lily is one of Australia’s most important contemporary aboriginal artists.  Whilst she varies her subject matter, she has never compromised on style.  Lily’s paintings are instantly recognisable.  Lily paints Wandjina – with varied totems, rain dotting, lightning (Black Wandjina), turtles, cave pools with bubbles – all different but all Lily Karadada.

Lily was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal for Contribution to Art in 2003.

A lovely lady, with a wonderful, infectious laugh – once met, never forgotten.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

1981
– Art of the Australian Aborigine, Museum fur Volkerkunde, Leipzig, Dresden, Germany

1988
– Karnta, Touring South-east Asia

1990
– Balance, Brisbane

1991
– Aboriginal Women’s Exhibition, Art Gallery of NSW

1992
– Broome Fringe Festival

1993
– Images of Power, National Gallery of Victoria

1994
– Power of the Land, Masterpieces of Aboriginal Art, National Gallery of Victoria

2003
– “Spirit Country”, Matsunoyama, Hokkaido and Tokyo, Japan

2004
– “Aborigènes – les couleurs du Rêve”, Muséum d’Histoire naturelle, Lyon, France

2005
– PALS Art Exhibition, Wardarnji Aboriginal Cultural Celebration, Fremantle

2006
– Dreaming Their Way:Australian Aboriginal Women Painters, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC

2007
– Back To The Board, Coo-ee Gallery, Sydney
– Japingka Gallery, Fremantle

SELECTED COLLECTIONS
– Artbank, Sydney
– Queensland Art Gallery
– Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica USA
– Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of W.A.
– Hank Ebes Collection, Victoria
– Art Gallery of South Australia
– Christensen Collection, in situ Museum of Victoria
– Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide
– National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

It is said that the Wandjina spirit figure is the embodiment of the rain spirit and ancestor of the Wunambal, Ngarinyin and Worrora peoples of the north west Kimberley region of Western Australia, where ancient artisans reproduced the images on the walls of the caves and rock formations of the plateau areas along the coast and hinterland.

They were always pictured in ochres and clays, from a frontal aspect, with no mouths, and large black eyes and a slit or beak-like nose. The icons are usually depicted in a veil of dots representing raindrops, and the blood and water mix of man and other earthly creatures.

Dreamtime mythology has it that the Wandjina emerged from the rain clouds and will return in that manner, while other versions suggest that Dumbi, the Owl, is the model.