Lucinda Gibson, Piparr Tjukurrpa, 122x71cm

• Aboriginal Artists - Lucinda Gibson
• Community - Haasts Bluff
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Ikuntji Artists
• Catalogue number - 21-LG222
• Materials - Acrylic on canvas
• Size(cm) - H122 W71 D2  
• Postage variants - Artwork posted rolled for safe shipping
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

Lucinda depicts her maternal grandfather’s country in the Great Sandy Desert between the communities of Kiwirrkurra and Balgo. This area is characterised by extensive sand dunes interspersed with rockholes and caves and is dangerous country to travel across during the hot Outback summer. In the cooler winter months however, it is good country for hunting bush turkey and echidna.

Lucinda paints the story of the Piparr Waterhole in this area. In the Dreamtime, there was a big fire at this place. Two men were running away from the fire and fell on their knees. The impressions formed by their knees created the rockholes in the earth. Now, fresh cool water can be found by digging in the rockhole even in the hot season. The round central motif indicates the shape of the Piparr rockhole, while the hypnotic swirling lines surrounding it are the sand dunes which surround the oasis.

Lucinda was born in 1996 at Alice Springs but grew up in communities across the western Northern Territory and Western Australia. Her father’s side is Luritja while her mother’s side is Kukatja, both part of the Western Desert Language Group whose vast lands stretch across much of the NT, SA and WA. Lucinda’s mother, Kathryn Nangala Njamme, is an artist and ranger who showed Lucinda all of her country growing up, fostering in her a deep connection with the land. Lucinda’s paternal grandmother is Eileen Napaltjarri Anyama, a senior artist at the Ikuntji Art Centre in Haasts Bluff. 

A lot of stories are still being recounted of long journeys of people from various language groups, who travelled from rockholes and waterholes to caves and mountains finally arriving at Haasts Bluff. The locals, Luritja people of Haasts Bluff, were already here. Thus Haasts Bluff is a community rich of diversity in language and culture.

Ikuntji Artists was first established in 1992, after a series of workshops with Melbourne artist Marina Strocchi, and under the influence of the then community president, the late Esther Jugadai. The art centre was initially set up to fulfil the role of women’s centre providing services such as catering for old people and children in the community. After first experiences made in printing T-shirts, the artists began producing acrylic paintings on linen and handmade paper, which quickly gained the attention of the Australian and international art world as well as earning the centre an impressive reputation for fine art. The focus changed from a women’s centre to an art centre in 2005 with the incorporation of the art centre as Ikuntji Artists Aboriginal Corporation.

The artists draw their inspiration from their personal ngurra (country) and Tjukurrpa (Dreaming). They interpret the ancestral stories by using traditional symbols, icons and motifs. The artistic repertoire of Ikuntji Artists is diverse and includes for example: naive as well as highly abstract paintings told by each artist in their personal signature style. Throughout the 21 years of its existence the art movement in Ikuntji has flourished and constantly left its mark in the fine art world. At the same time the art centre has been the cultural hub of the community, maintaining, reinforcing and reinvigorating cultural practices through art-making.

Today Ikuntji Artists has eight key artists, who exhibit in Australia and internationally. They are represented in major collections across the globe.

Text: Melanie Greiner, Alison Multa and Dr Chrischona Schmidt