Lyn Napangardi Ward / Water Dreaming (2444-20)

Artwork is accompanied by Warlukurlangu Artists (Yuendumu) Art Centre Certificate of Authenticity/Provenance

Lyn Napangardi Ward is a Warlpiri artist who paints for Warlukurlangu Art Centre in the Northern Territory.

Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation of Yuendumu was incorporated in 1986. Warlukurlangu is a not for profit organisation that has more than 600 members, all of whom are Indigenous artists. It is directed by an executive committee of eight men and eight women representing all the ‘skin groups’. It meets regularly to set policy, make decisions about the organisation and direct staff.

Established in 1985 Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation is a not-for-profit organisation that is 100% Aboriginal-owned by its artists from the remote desert communities of Yuendumu and Nyirripi in Central Australia.

Warlukurlangu Artists is famous for its gloriously colourful acrylic paintings and limited edition prints. The art centre has a national and international profile and its art has been featured in hundreds of exhibitions and publications in Australia and around the world.

Warlukurlangu means ‘belonging to fire’ in the local language, Warlpiri, and is named for a fire dreaming site west of Yuendumu.

The site depicted in this painting is Pirlinyarnu (Mt. Farewell), about 165 km west of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. Two Jangala men, rainmakers, sang the rain, unleashing a giant storm that collided with another storm from Wapurtali. The two storms travelled across the country, from Karlipinpa near Kintore. A Kirrkarlanji (brown falcon [Falco berigora]) carried the storm further west until it dropped the storm at Pirlinyarnu, forming an enormous Maliri (lake). A “mulju” (soakage) exists in this place today. At Puyurru the bird dug up a ‘warnayarra’ (rainbow serpent). The serpent carried water with it to create another large lake. Whenever it rains today hundreds of ‘ngapangarlpa’ (bush ducks) still flock to Pirlinyarnu. The ‘kirda’ (custodians) for this Jukurrpa are Jangala/Jampijinpa men and Nangala/ Nampijinpa women.