Kulyu 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.
Look for:
-
layers of paint representing the layers from below the ground to the earth’s surface
-
water that flows underneath the desert
-
maroon paint representing moist earth deep under the earth’s surface
-
surface plants, claypans and waterholes
-
bright green representing newly grown grass.
-
What colours were traditionally used in Aboriginal artworks?
-
How were these colours made?
-
Are the colours in Kulyu 2014 different to the traditional colours? Why or why not?
-
Why are these colours different to those used long ago?
Why do you think the group chose to work from this underground perspective to the desert’s surface?