Pirlinyanu Site - Water Dreaming (2010) by Julie Nangala Robertson, 198x61cm Cat 13483JR

"Pirlinyanu Site - Water Dreaming (2010)" by Julie Nangala Robertson, winner of the 2023 Telstra Aboriginal Art Award in the Best Painting Category, masterfully depicts her Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming). This Dreaming is associated with her father’s traditional country of Pirlinyanu, a rocky outcrop in the Tanami Desert, west of Yuendumu and near the WA border.

Pirlinyanu is renowned for its significant waterholes and abundant bush tucker. This rocky country is a crucial site for the Water Dreaming because those with traditional knowledge can access fresh water in the deep, naturally occurring wells by moving specific rocks. Without this knowledge, one might assume there is no water in this desert landscape.

Julie employs an aerial perspective and a distinctive monochromatic palette to achieve extraordinary optical brilliance in her paintings. She creates movement and shapes through the placement of dots, building specific shapes and reference points through repeated over-dotting.

Recently, Julie, the eldest of five daughters of Dorothy Napangardi Robinson, changed the spelling of her surname to Robertson to align with her relatives in Yuendumu. She felt her father, Windy, had misspelled it. Windy had two wives: Rene Robinson and Dorothy Robinson.

Julie's work reflects her deep connection to her cultural heritage and the natural landscape, preserving and celebrating the traditions and stories of her ancestors through her remarkable paintings.