Windulka Soak - Lucy Yukenbarri Napanangka

Lucy Yukenbarri belonged to the last generation of desert people who moved into the mission at Balgo Hills, on the western edge of the Tanami Desert, after living a traditional nomadic life and undergoing full initiation before encountering European colonists. From the beginning, her innovative and daring paintings stood out for their intense fields of colour and thick, painterly texture. Although her brushwork suggested linearity, the bands of colour were actually the result of her unique technique of merging dots, a method she called 'kinti kinti' (close, close). The rapid drying of the paint in the intense heat led to a chromatic density that left no room for gentle gradations or blended hues, resulting in a striking immediacy of contrast and resonance. This work depicts a central rock hole in the Great Sandy Desert, encircled by sand dunes rich with bush foods, particularly Pura, a wild bush tomato. As a senior law woman, Lucy Yukenbarri held irreplaceable knowledge of the ancient places, ceremonies, and narratives.