Raining on Kurtal
Mr (Ngarralja Tommy) MAY: artist
Kurtal is the jila (living spring), Kurtal is the Kalpurtu that makes the rain, Kurtal is the ancestors. This work is Kurtal rising up and making it rain. (Mangkaja Arts 2017)
Kurtal waterhole is described as one of the most important sacred waterholes in the Great Sandy Desert. Recently, an acclaimed documentary film Putuparri and the Rainmakers (2015) was made about a group of custodians and their return to this sacred site. May is one of these custodians and about the rainmaker he says, ‘Kurtal is the Kalpurtu (Rainbow Serpent) that brings the rain. He is extremely powerful, not just anyone can talk to him. There is an important Junba (ceremony) that happens for him. He’ll come out, then he’ll bring the storm and it will rain’.
The proposed painting embodies the power and magnificence of Kurtal, and the storms he creates. This is specifically expressed through the artist’s use of a blue topcoat that he has methodically scratched away to reveal the white surface below. The scratches appear as dense blocks of bright white lines that striate and crisscross the surface. The composition moves seamlessly between electric clouds and heavy sheets of rain, with Kurtal orchestrating the scene. The painting is innovative and contemporary, but also harks back to earlier traditional forms of mark-making, such as carving and possibly ground design. Moreover, the work was exhibited in the 33rd National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, last year.
Kurtal waterhole is described as one of the most important sacred waterholes in the Great Sandy Desert. Recently, an acclaimed documentary film Putuparri and the Rainmakers (2015) was made about a group of custodians and their return to this sacred site. May is one of these custodians and about the rainmaker he says, ‘Kurtal is the Kalpurtu (Rainbow Serpent) that brings the rain. He is extremely powerful, not just anyone can talk to him. There is an important Junba (ceremony) that happens for him. He’ll come out, then he’ll bring the storm and it will rain’.
The proposed painting embodies the power and magnificence of Kurtal, and the storms he creates. This is specifically expressed through the artist’s use of a blue topcoat that he has methodically scratched away to reveal the white surface below. The scratches appear as dense blocks of bright white lines that striate and crisscross the surface. The composition moves seamlessly between electric clouds and heavy sheets of rain, with Kurtal orchestrating the scene. The painting is innovative and contemporary, but also harks back to earlier traditional forms of mark-making, such as carving and possibly ground design. Moreover, the work was exhibited in the 33rd National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, last year.
Title
Raining on Kurtal
Artist/Maker and role
Mr (Ngarralja Tommy) MAY: artist
Date
2016
Medium
scratched enamel on tin
Measurements
120.0 x 120.0cm
Credit line
Purchased 2017
© Mr (Ngarralja Tommy) MAY / Copyright Agency
The State Art Collection, The Art Gallery of Western Australia
Accession number
2017/0095