Biography

Originally from Yuendumu in the Central Desert, Sarah Leo's work evokes the Dream (Jukurrpa) of Water (Ngapa) linked to the sacred site of Puyurru, located west of her community. As this dream has a sacred value, artists like Sarah Leo only give us the version instilled in children. The one we have been given mixes multiple dreams - or dream tracks - that intersect during the journeys undertaken by different ancestors. The story told by his paintings begins with two rainmaker men from the Jangala family who called for rain with their songs and thus triggered a huge storm. The storm moved along their clan territory with a thunderous noise produced by the lightning. The story becomes more complicated afterwards and can be summed up by the simple fact that this Major Dreaming explains how the multiple marshes on which the desert peoples depend for survival were created and, above all, gives spatial markers for finding them according to dunes, rocky headlands, etc. The concentric circle is a symbol that has been used for thousands of years by the Aborigines living in the central desert. It represents sacred sites, such as Puyurru here. It is always remarkable to see how Aboriginal art is constantly evolving through the work of its artists. Although this symbol is quite simple, Sarah Leo and her peers are continually evolving it. The artist composes her paintings with multiple dotted lines.