MARDAYIN AT KAKODBEBULDI, 2005
JOHN MAWURNDJUL
natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark
114.0 x 52.0 cm
inscribed verso: artist's name, size, medium, language group and cat 4985-05 on Maningrida Arts and Culture label
Maningrida Arts and Culture, Maningrida, Northern Territory
Private collection, New South Wales, acquired from the above in 2005
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Maningrida Arts and Culture that reads: “This work by the artist concerns a major patrimoiety ceremony of a secret and sacred nature called Mardayin. Much of the meaning of the iconography in the painting is not in the domain of public knowledge and so it cannot be explained in detail. The painting refers to a site, Kakodbebuldi, which is an outstation in the Dangkorlo clan estate in the Mann River region. Kakodbebuldi is a Mardayin ceremony performance site and is located on a large billabong covered in waterlilies. This place is about 50 kilometres south of Maningrida in Central North Arnhem Land.”