Ginger Riley Munduwalawala circa 1937 - 2002 LIMMEN BIGHT COUNTRY

Painted in 1993
Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne
Private collection

The painting appears in very good condition overall with no apparent repairs or restorations, there are a few minor paint splashes on the surface which are likely to be contemporaneous with the art works production, and minor finger markings and scuffs around the paintings perimetre caused by its handling.
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Cf. For another work by the artist featuring the dual image of Garimala the ancestral serpent, Bulukbun the fire-breathing snake, and Ngak Ngak the Sea Eagle witnessing the creation of the Four Archers, see Limmen Bight country, the story of creation, 1993, in J.Ryan, Ginger Riley, Melbourne: National Gallery of Victoria, 1997, p. 90, pl.49, illus. See also The Limmen Bight River, 1990, in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, in A. Quaill, Marking Our Times: Selected works of art from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collection at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra: National Gallery of Australia, 1996, p.31, illus.

The painting depicts the epic chronicle of the creation of the Four Archers by Garimala in the artist's mother's country. The island of Yumunkuni (Beatrice Island), seen in the lower left, was created by Ngak Ngak the Sea Eagle. Here, Bulukbun came out of the sea to devour the participants in a ceremony who had offended him by performing a ritual incorrectly. Ngak Ngak the Sea Eagle, shown in the upper centre of the painting devouring a snake, is the artist's totem and its depiction in the scene acts as a metaphor for the artist witnessing the creative acts of his ancestors.

This work is sold with accompanying notes from Alcaston Gallery that read in part: 'This heraldic painting includes Ngak Ngak, the white breasted sea eagle, observing the Four Archers in Limmen Bight River country. The central stripes are the river, the travelling Garimala are to the right, at the bottom is the sharks liver tree and to the left angry Bulukbun with his fire breath. The surrounding V shaped decoration is derived from body paint designs. The V shape is painted on each shoulder pointing to the nipple.'