GARAK (LARRAKITJ), 2011

Important Australian Aboriginal Art
Melbourne
18 March 2020
40

GULUMBU YUNUPINGU

(c.1945 – 2012)
GARAK (LARRAKITJ), 2011

natural earth pigments on hollow logs

189.0, 189.0 and 152.0 cm heights

Estimate: 
$15,000 – 20,000 (3)
Sold for $39,040 (inc. BP) in Auction 60 - 18 March 2020, Melbourne
Provenance

Buku–Larrnggay Mulka Arts, Yirrkala, Northern Territory (cats. 4112R, 4110X and 4110Y)
Maclean collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above in September 2013

These works are accompanied by certificates of authenticity from Buku–Larrnggay Mulka which states in part: ‘This painting illustrates two dreamtime stories, which each represent different constellations, that the artist was told by her father as a child. The first story is about two sisters called Guthayguthay and Nhayay. Guthayguthay is the elder sister and sits at the biggest fire, she and Nhayay who is the younger sister and has a smaller fire. The elder sister is able to carry bigger firewood than the younger sister who can only carry small firewood. In the olden days these two sisters used to be people, but they turned into stars that sit in the sky under the Milky Way. The second story is about seven sisters who went out in their canoe called Djulpan. During certain seasons they go hunting for food and always come back with different types of food. They come back with turtle, fish, freshwater snakes and also bush foods like yams and berries. They can be seen in the sky of a night, seven stars that come out together. The stars come in the season when the food and berries come out; the stars will travel through the sky during that month until the season is over and they don't come out until the next season.’