Ngapa Jukurrpa by Sabrina Robertson 31x61cm 9835SR

Ngapa Jukurrpa by Sabrina Nangala Robertson is a striking and distinctive interpretation of Water Dreaming connected to Mikanji, a watercourse west of Yuendumu that is typically dry. Within the sandy bed of this creek lie mulju (soakages), essential sources of water in the desert landscape. Sabrina’s composition features elegant, protruding forms emerging from three central linear shapes, creating a dynamic sense of movement and guiding the viewer’s eye across the canvas in a rhythmic, almost playful, dance.

These forms represent lightning as it strikes the earth—born from the immense storm sung into existence by two ancestral rainmakers of the Jangala skin group during the Dreaming, a time when the landscape and laws of existence were formed. The legacy of this creation story is carried by today’s custodians: men of the Jangala and Jampijinpa skin groups, and women of the Nangala and Nampijinpa groups, who maintain the sacred knowledge and cultural responsibilities of this Dreaming.

Sabrina Nangala Robertson is the second eldest of five daughters of the renowned artist Dorothy Napangardi, and sister to fellow artist Julie Nangala Robertson. Until recently, her surname was spelled Robinson.