Jungunpa (Marsupial Mouse) 1998, 198 x 61cm, 3587PWN

This exquisite, elongated painting by Polly Napangardi Watson traces the ancestral journeys of the Jungunpa (Marsupial Mouse) during the Dreaming, when ancestral beings travelled across Country, shaping the landscape and establishing its spiritual significance.

The Jungunpa rested at Mount Doreen, Polly’s birthplace, creating a profound personal connection between the artist, her Country and the Marsupial Mouse Dreaming.

Delicate yet commanding, the painting possesses an extraordinary sense of movement and spatial rhythm. Its intricate composition invites the viewer to journey across the canvas, almost as though floating above an expansive landscape. Its elegant proportions allow for either horizontal or vertical display.

Custodianship of this Dreaming belongs to women of the Napangardi and Napanangka skin groups, who share an aunt–niece kinship relationship. Cultural knowledge and ceremonial responsibilities are passed between generations.

A beautifully resolved contemporary painting, Jungunpa combines visual sophistication, ancestral knowledge and a deeply personal connection to Country.