Pirlinyanu Dreaming (Triptych), 2008 – Julie Nangala Robertson

Pirlinyanu Dreaming (Triptych), 2008 – Julie Nangala Robertson - each painting 41x51cm

This striking triptych by Warlpiri artist Julie Nangala Robertson depicts her Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming), connected to her father’s ancestral country at Pirlinyanu, a rocky outcrop in the Tanami Desert west of Yuendumu near the Western Australian border.

Rendered in a restrained desert palette, the three paintings evoke the colours of sand, stone, and life-giving water. Pirlinyanu is a significant Water Dreaming site where deep natural wells lie hidden beneath the rocky ground. With the right knowledge—passed down through generations—moving particular stones reveals fresh water in this seemingly arid landscape. Such knowledge ensured survival in the desert and forms an essential part of Warlpiri cultural law.

In Warlpiri tradition, custodianship of country is inherited through the father, while ceremonial knowledge is transmitted through the father’s sisters to their nieces. These stories belong to the Nampijinpa and Nangala skin groups, reflecting a complex system of kinship and cultural responsibility.

Julie Nangala Robertson is the eldest of the five daughters of acclaimed Warlpiri painter Dorothy Napangardi Robinson. She recently adopted the spelling Robertson , aligning with her family’s name used by relatives in Yuendumu. Her father, Windy, had previously recorded the surname as Robinson.

Together, these three paintings create a powerful visual narrative of Country, water, and ancestral knowledge —a refined example of contemporary Western Desert painting rooted in deep cultural tradition.

The paintings are stretched and ready to hang, carefully packed and protected with MDF board for safe transport. Cat 13695JR,13696JR, 13698JR