Munurru (Rough)
2005
Galuma Maymuru
Australian Aboriginal, Manggalili clan, Djarrakpi, Northeast Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, born 1951
Maymuru pulls us into high tide in deep water, where currents are colliding and flickering slivers of light bounce off the surface. Throughout the twisting ribbons of current, the artist utilizes a sacred signature in crosshatched patterns that belong to her clan. Women paint such patterns on each other's chests when they are in a state of fasting - during funerals or initiations.
--Pam McClusky, Curator of African and Oceanic Art, 2015
Natural pigments on eucalyptus bark
64 9/16 x 30 5/16 in. (164 x 77 cm)
Gift of Margaret Levi and Robert Kaplan
2019.20.19
Provenance: [Annandale Galleries, Annandale, Australia]; Margaret Levi and Robert Kaplan, Seattle, Washington, 2007
Photo: iocolor, Seattle