Phyllis Batambil BURARRWANGA
Ganiny , 1998
Art : Aboriginal
Origine : Elcho Island
Dimensions : 110 x 163 cm
Medium : Natural pigments on canvas
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N° : 3371
The ganiny that gives the work its title is a knife used to flay the trunks of the so-called "cigarette paper bark" trees during initiation ceremonies on Elcho Island, where the artist lives. It is this object, decorated with motifs that make it sacred, that is represented in the centre of the work. It stands out (at the ends) against clan crosses (or rarrk) and (in the middle) black and red lozenges evoking the primordial fire whose volutes rise into the air. Between these lozenges, the drawing is that of the ebb and flow of the sea, the work thus marrying water and fire, sky and earth.
This work bears the identification number 12/1801/BAT on the back and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the official art centre of Galiwinku, Elcho Island as well as a certificate of authenticity issued by Stéphane Jacob, expert in Aboriginal art with the Chambre Nationale des Experts Spécialisés en Objets d'Art et de Collection (C.N.E.S.).