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Yilpinji and the Visual Art of the Warlpiri and Kukatja peoples.

     Dreaming narratives are deemed to be owned (a form of orally transmitted copyright) by certain individuals and groups (communal ownership) within Indigenous kinship systems. Usually only certain parts of Dreaming narratives are made publicly available to outsiders or children. The paintings act as mnemonic devices for the longer narratives associated with them. Dreaming narratives closely relate to specific tracts of land and environmental features. At the same time they deal with the “big” or important philosophical, spiritual, moral and ethical subjects. These include life, death, betrayal, dishonesty in relationships, love, hate, lust, incest, and other extreme emotions and practices. Sexuality, family relationships, relationships between humans and other species are included as well as relationships between human beings and the environment, youth, aging, physical and psychological survival, birth, death, how to raise children, compassion, generosity, meanness, and the like. Many of these Dreaming narratives and their accompanying visual manifestations have a Yilpinji (poorly translated as ‘love magic’) component, providing advice on how not to act, as well as indicating desirable behaviour.

    In addition, Love Magic charms, spells and songs relate to the many 'different' Dreaming narratives on which the prints in this exhibition are founded. The works here include stories about objects which 'hold' love magic, relay information about powerful love ‘singers’ (some good, some evil), as well as relating tales about long-term faithfulness in love relationships and the virtues of nurturing and respecting the object of one's love and desire. This includes the terrible consequences of uncontrolled sexual passion. The paintings, prints and other visual imagery relating to this subject matter can be understood as concentrated, abbreviated versions of these much longer oral narratives. All of the works in this exhibition in some way relate to the theme of love, or love magic (yilpinji) in the Warlpiri and Kukatja contexts and reveal a rich repository of cultural knowledge about this subject. Equally, there are many long, complex, different and fascinating stories relating to all of the art works exhibited here. This is a significant exhibition because it introduces the non-Indigenous world to a critically important but previously little-known aspect of Indigenous social life.

    The folio of prints by these accomplished and knowledgeable artists, men and women of ‘high degree’, explore such themes through the powerful medium of the visual arts. The accompanying catalogue, to be released in 2004, will further cross-reference the images with the social and cultural issues they raise.