Yalgoo
Julie DOWLING: artist
My grandmother, Mollie Dowling (née Latham), holds the hand of her
older brother, Uncle George Latham as they sit in their country at a
place named Yalgoo. The small deteriorating form of a railway siding can
be seen in the centre. It is an artefact of the gold rush that happened
in this area. The Badimaya translation for Yalgoo is goanna fat. When
local people were asked what they thought the gold nuggets were, they
responded stating that it resembled the fat found inside of a goanna
when opened up before it was eaten.
I needed to show my family elders together because they were the last
two of their nine siblings. They are now both gone to our ancestors. I
wanted to show how economic whims mean nothing in comparison to
the wealth there is in cultural people.
older brother, Uncle George Latham as they sit in their country at a
place named Yalgoo. The small deteriorating form of a railway siding can
be seen in the centre. It is an artefact of the gold rush that happened
in this area. The Badimaya translation for Yalgoo is goanna fat. When
local people were asked what they thought the gold nuggets were, they
responded stating that it resembled the fat found inside of a goanna
when opened up before it was eaten.
I needed to show my family elders together because they were the last
two of their nine siblings. They are now both gone to our ancestors. I
wanted to show how economic whims mean nothing in comparison to
the wealth there is in cultural people.
Title
Yalgoo
Artist/Maker and role
Julie DOWLING: artist
Date
2002
Medium
synthetic polymer paint, oil and red ochre on canvas
Measurements
120.0 x 150.3 cm
Credit line
Gift of Brigitte Braun, 2017
© Julie Dowling / Copyright Agency
The State Art Collection, The Art Gallery of Western Australia
Accession number
2017/0066