Kulyu1 shows the desert landscape near the Karlamilyi National Park in Western Australia. It was painted by nine Australian Aboriginal artists from Parnngurr as a protest against uranium mining exploration at the edge of the national park.
The painting shows the area from below the ground up to the surface. The artwork began with the painting of the fresh water that flows below the desert. The painting was then covered with maroon paint representing the moist, rich soil deep down. Women artists then painted the brightly coloured top layer of the area over the maroon paint.
Why do you think the group chose to work from this underground perspective to the desert’s surface?