Lot 88: Robin Ngainmira

23 x 50in (58 x 127cm)
natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark.

Provenance:
Collected in Oenpelli, Arnhem Land in 1984
Private American Collection

Robin Ngainmira (1951-1991) lived in Owenpelli, Arnhemland. In the present work, two wandering sisters gathering food, threatened by two men, enter a watering hole to avoid confrontation. Once their feet are transmuted into fish tails, the sisters escape danger and remain in the water forever. Robin Ngainmira was known to paint in a naturalistic x-ray style and depicted animated figures and creatures in his work. (See reverse for complete story as well as a narrative of rock art in Western Arnhemland).