Jarakalani jantu (Turtle Boat)

Tiwi Pottery was established in Darwin in 1968 before relocating in the early 1970s to Wurrumiyanga (Nguiu) on Bathurst Island. For many years the studio made functional stoneware from local materials, but in the 1990s a new visual language emerged. Departing from wheel-thrown pottery, innovative pieces inspired by Tiwi carved wooden sculptures were translated into clay. The joyous Jarakalani jantu (Turtle boat), created in 1999 by Mark Puautjimi and Cyril James Kerinauia, is a distinctive example of the exciting forms that developed in the studio during this period.

This vessel in the shape of a turtle has been formed by hand, using a combination of the slab and coil techniques, with daily life the inspiration behind this large-scale clay sculpture. The anthropomorphism of the work is reinforced, with flippers serving as oars and a tail as a rudder of a boat. Three men sit inside the boat as they hunt for turtles, a practice from time immemorial passed from one generation to the next. Coloured in black, warm orange and brown tones, the lines and dots are derived in part from the artists’ jilamara, the ceremonial body-paint design that is unique to each person’s cultural identity.

A celebration of food gathering and an exuberant expression conveying the artists’ ease with the medium, Jarakalani jantu (Turtle boat) is an imaginative sculptural work sharing stories about Tiwi culture and life.

Gloria Strzelecki, Associate Curator of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art