Walungurru

Walungurru was an important location for artist Kunmanara Carroll. Situated in Luritja/Pintupi Country in the Northern Territory, it is an area Carroll would visit with his father, Henry Paripata Tjampitjinpa. After his father’s death, Carroll moved to Pukatja (Ernabella), where he established himself as a respected artist and community member. It was not until 2017 that he was able to return and reconnect with his patrilineal homeland.

Carroll’s ceramic vessel Walungurru, created in 2015, is a precursor to this

visit. In this sculptural work he recalls the place and merges it with his knowledge and custodial responsibilities towards it. Working with the texture of the stoneware, Carroll incised the surface with diamond block patterns, before filling these segments with a deep-blue hue. Walungurru is Carroll’s dynamic interpretation of the sand dune landscape and country where Wanampi (Rainbow Serpent) once chased a troublemaker across the terrain, creating a track in the earth and bringing water to the dry claypans.

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