Sebastian Japanangka Williams, Wardapi Jukurrpa (Goanna Dreaming) - Yarripurlangu, 30x30cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Sebastian Japanangka Williams
• Community - Yuendumu
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation
• Catalogue number - 3217/21
• Materials - Acrylic on pre-stretched canvas
• Size(cm) - H30 W30 D3.5
• Postage variants - Artwork is posted stretched and ready to hang
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

This Wardapi Jukurrpa (goanna [Varanus gouldii] Dreaming) comes from Yarripilangku, south-west of Yuendumu. It tells the story of a group of Karnta (Warlpiri women) that were sitting down in a circle. A man from Mt. Theo, of the Japangardi skin group named Wamaru, came up to the women. He wanted to take a girl of the wrong skin, a Nungarrayi. He took the Nungarrayi woman, named Yurlkurinyi, and went up the hill where they made love. Then the earth turned to Ngunjungunju (yellow and white ochre) and the man turned himself and all the ‘karnta’ (women) into ‘wardapi’ (goannas). The ochre is still found on top of the hill and is used today for love magic and for ceremonial decoration. This Jukurrpa belongs to the Napaljarri/Japaljarri and Nungarrayi/Jungarrayi subsections. It also belongs to people from Mt Theo of the Japanangka/Napanangka, Japangardi/Napangardi subsections. In paintings of this Jukurrpa, the group of women is often represented by concentric circles and ‘U’ shapes typically are used to represent women. Concentric circles can also illustrate ‘wardapi’ holes and the droppings they leave while ‘wardapi’ tracks are usually represented by ‘W’ shapes.

Sebastian Japanangka was born in 1991, in Alice Springs Hospital, the closest hospital to Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 km north-west of Alice Springs in NT of Australia. Sebastian was born into a long line of artists. He is the great grandson of Paddy Japaljarri Sims (Dec) and Bessie Nakamarra Sims (Dec), two of the founding artists of Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation. His father is Andrew Japangardi Williams, his mother is Juliette Nampijinpa Brown and his grandmother is Wendy Nungarrayi Brown. He has one sister Shanna Napanangka Williams.  All respected artists working at the art centre.                                                

Sebastian has been painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu, since 2009. He paints his Father’s Wardapi Jukurrpa (Goanna Dreaming) – Yarripilangu and his Mother’s Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming). These stories relate directly to his land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. Sebastian uses an unrestricted palette and traditional iconology that stretches back at least fifty millennia to depict his traditional Jukurrpa.

Although Sebastian began painting at an early age it wasn’t until recently, while participating in community service work at Warlukurlangu Artists, that his interest in painting was renewed. When not painting, he likes working at the Art Centre, spraying and preparing metal sculptures or priming canvases for artists to paint. He also has two children, and spends time with them, having fun and watching videos together.