UTA UTA TJANGALA

Painted for Papunya Tula Artists in December 1976
Private collection, Melbourne

An old tear in the lower left hand section of the painting has recently been professionally restored. As a result the damage is no longer apparent, unless looked at ultra-violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Cf. Tingari at Lake McDonald, 1979, in the collection of the South Australian Museum, in O'Ferrall, M., Crossroads - Towards a New Reality. Aboriginal Art from Australia, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan, 1992, p.87, catalogue number 58, illus.

Uta Uta is renowned for his highly formal paintings of rituals. The symmetry of these compositions reflects the formality of ceremony and suggests the structured nature of the world created by the ancestral beings.

The painting depicts the ceremonial ground design of the Pintupi people's Possum (Wyuta) Dreaming at Ngamunangya, a rockhole and cave site on the eastern side of Lake Mackay. Three ceremonial leaders (the U-shapes) are depicted around the large roundel of the ritual painting. Groups of men participating in the ceremony are represented by the roundels along the borders of the canvas. These are joined by angled lines that are images of the men's legs in dance. The places for the young initiates are situated between the central roundel and the men's outer camps. The whole scene is surrounded by sandhills.