Provenance
Ninuku Artists, South Australia, cat.no. 11207
Raft Artspace, Northern Territory
Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above in 2011
Description
This painting depicts two Dreaming Stories as they are closely connected for the artist.
Wati Nyiru - This is a story about a man named Nyiru. This is Harry interpretation of an important Tjukurrpa (Dreaming Story) often painted by women, known as Kungkarrakalpa (Seven Sisters Dreaming), although Hary paints this story from the perspectives of the male character - Wati Nyiru. Wati Nyiru is sitting high up on a hill at Whyalla, near port Augusta. He watches the seven sisters go into one end of a cave, and then blocks the other end so they can't come out. But Wati Nyiru falls asleep, only to wake up and find that they have escaped. He travels around the country looking g fir them. He is able to track down the king mob (group of girls), as he can see the smoke from their fire. In the story, Wati Nyiru eventually catches the younger sister and marries her. Hary identifies strongly with this ancestral figure.
Wati Wanka - Harry's depiction of a spider is common in his paintings. It represents the ancestral being with whom he most strongly identifies. His connection to the spider relates to his powers has a Ngangkari (traditional healer).
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