Jungunpa 1996
Polly Napangardi Watson
Acrylic on canvas, 36 × 122 cm

This exceptional painting by Polly Napangardi Watson depicts the Jungunpa (Marsupial Mouse) Dreaming, associated with her country at Mount Doreen, west of Yuendumu in the Tanami Desert. Unusual within Watson’s oeuvre, the elongated composition and rhythmic linear mark-making reveal a striking influence from Kimberley painting traditions, reflecting the artist’s exposure to Kimberley artists through gallery exhibitions in the early 1990s. Polly greatly admired the work of Billy Thomas, whom she met during his first solo exhibition. The painting maps the nocturnal tracks of the marsupial mouse across the desert landscape, creating a powerful sense of movement and energy.