Pirlinyanu Dreaming, 2002 by Julie Nangala Robertson 61x61cm

Pirlinyanu Dreaming, 2002 by Julie Nangala Robertson (61 x 61 cm)

This early painting by Julie Nangala Robertson is part of a series created in 2002 while painting alongside her mother, the renowned Dorothy Napangardi. Recently released from the Gondwana Collection, it showcases Julie’s developing style and deep connection to her ancestral stories.

The painting has a beautiful sense of movement, with flowing lines linking multiple rockholes. The vibrant background represents the desert landscape after a nourishing rain, when the country bursts into life.

Julie, winner of the 2023 Telstra Aboriginal Art Award for Best Painting, continues to depict the Water Dreaming of her custodial site, Pirlinyanu—a rocky outcrop with deep wells west of Nyrripi in the Central Desert. In Warlpiri, pirli means "stone," highlighting the significance of this sacred place.

This Dreaming belongs to those with the skin names Nangala or Nampijinpa (women) and Jangala or Jampijinpa (men), carrying deep cultural meaning.

Recently, Julie changed the spelling of her surname from Robinson to Robertson, aligning with her relatives in Yuendumu. Her father, Windy, had two wives, Rene Robinson and Dorothy Robinson, but Julie believes her surname was originally misspelt. This change honours her family’s legacy while reaffirming her cultural identity.