PADDY JAPALJARRI STEWART - MARLU JUKURRPA YAMARDIKYI & JURNI
PADDY JAPALJARRI STEWART
MARLU JUKURRPA (RED KANGAROO DREAMING)YAMARDIKYI & JURNI
acrylic on linen121.5 x 91.5 cm
PROVENANCE
Warlukurlangu Artists, NT Cat No. 3492/09Ngurratjuta Art Centre, NT
Private Collection, WA
Art Leven, NSW
STORY
Paddy Stewart played a significant role in the early development of Western Desert art at Papunya before relocating to Yuendumu, closer to his traditional Warlpiri homelands, where he became a pivotal figure in the art movement that emerged there more than a decade later.In 1984, Stewart was one of the senior men who painted ancestral designs on the school doors at Yuendumu. Of the 30 doors, he painted 18 himself and collaborated on three others. This act of cultural expression became a landmark in the community's artistic heritage. Paddy Stewart’s influence extended internationally when, in 1989, he participated in creating a ground painting installation for the "Magiciens de la Terre" (Magicians of the Earth) exhibition in Paris. The work garnered significant acclaim, leading to his inclusion in major exhibitions and collections worldwide. This painting illustrates a story connected to Wakurlpa and Yuwarli, located north of Yuendumu. The canvas centres on a mina (nest) created by an eagle at Yuwarli. The eagle, known as Wangkangarnu, is depicted through its wirliya (tracks) encircling the nest, symbolising its flight in search of prey. This powerful bird, capable of hunting baby kangaroos and emus, also travelled to other significant sites like Ngatirri near Purturlu and Elisqarti, with "quarti" meaning egg and "elis" meaning eagle.
