Sarah Napurrurla Leo / Native Seed Dreaming (2A)

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

Sarah Napurrurla Leo was born in 1971 on Napperby Station, an area located 122km north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. Sara later moved with her parents from the Napperby homestead area to the Laramba Community, 205km north-west of Alice Springs. The Laramba Community began in 1983 on the Napperly Station Homestead but moved to its present location in 1984. Sarah’s parents have both passed away. She has two sisters, Selma Napurrurla Leo and Katherine Napurrurla Leo and one brother Clement Japurrurla Leo. Her remaining Grandmother is Rita Nagala Dixon.

Sarah had a traditional upbringing, spending time with her parents who would take her out bush, around Napperly, showing her sites and teaching her the traditional ways of her country. Later she lived in Alice Springs where she met her husband who was from Yuendumu, an aboriginal community located 190km north-west of Alice Springs. Shortly after they were married they moved to Yuendumu where she has lived ever since. Sara found work with the Old People’s Program, and took care of the elderly, helping them when they were sick, being with them when they feel alone, or when they are frightened during storms.

Sarah has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists since 2008. She paints Karnta Jukurrpa (Womens Dreaming) and her Father’s Jukurrpa stories. These stories relate directly to her land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. She also paints her Mother’s Jukurrpa, Ngurlu Jukurrpa (Native Seed Dreaming). Sarah uses an unrestricted palette to develop a modern interpretation of her traditional culture.

When Sarah is not painting she looks after her son who was born in 2008.

The Jukurrpa or dreaming is connected with a place called Jaralypari which situated north of Yuendumu. Lukarrara is a species of Fimbristylis, a grass that produces tasty seeds in the winter-time. The seeds are customarily ground on a large stone (‘puturlu’) with a smaller stone (‘ngalikirri’) to make flour to be used to make bush tucker. This flour is blended with water (‘ngapa’) to make small seed cakes. In modern Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, particular sites and other elements. In paintings of this Jukurrpa (deaming) large concentric circles are used to represent Jaralypari and dots surrounding these circles are often depicting the ‘ngurlu’.