Janganpa Jukurrpa (Possum Dreaming) etching by Paddy Japaljarri Stewart
Paddy Japaljarri Stewart, Possum, Etching, 14/20, Paper size 39x36cm, Image size 34x24cm
This Dreaming belongs to Japaljarri and Jungarrayi men. The site for this Dreaming is Yampirringi, east of Yuendumu. One possum was a lover boy for a possum woman from Warkaningi. He travelled from Yampiiringi to Warkaningi to take that woman. In this print the possum is represented thorughout. The ‘ E’ shapes are the possum footprints and sinuous lines are the imprint left by the possum’s tail in the sand.
An important custodian and artist, Paddy Japaljarri Stewart's work is featured in the collections of major art institutions in Australia, including the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), and Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), as well as institutions around the world.
In 1988, Paddy Stewart was selected by The Power Gallery at Sydney University to travel to Paris with five other Warlpiri men from Yuendumu to create a ground painting installation at the exhibition ‘Magiciens de la Terre’ at the Centre Georges Pompidou. The trip took place in May 1989, and the painting received worldwide acclaim. Paddy Japaljarri Stewart exhibited artwork throughout Australia and around the world, including exhibitions in France, the USA, Germany, the UK, French Polynesia, and Amsterdam.