Lupulnga 2006

Editor: Makinti Napanangka's "Lupulnga," created in 2006 using acrylic paint, presents such a striking array of colours and geometric patterns. There's a wonderful sense of movement, and a slightly off-kilter feeling that keeps me looking. What do you make of this piece? Curator: Oh, it sings to me! Don't you find that Napanangka's use of colour vibrates with energy? It's like she’s translating the desert landscape into pure emotion. It is deeply rooted in Indigenous narratives; I always find that her art beautifully blurs the boundaries between abstraction and the depiction of ancestral stories and the land itself. Editor: Absolutely. I can definitely see that connection to the landscape. It is like those pinks and reds could be the setting sun over the Outback, even if it's not literally represented. The shapes seem organic, but also so purposefully placed. Curator: Exactly! They represent the bush tomato dreaming. Think of the work not as a picture *of* something, but as a map *to* understanding a deep cultural knowledge. Does that shift your perspective a little? Editor: It does. It's less about what it *looks* like and more about what it *means*. Seeing it as a map changes everything. Curator: Right? It becomes this incredibly generous act of sharing a worldview. Editor: I love that interpretation! It makes me appreciate the painting on a whole different level. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! Art’s all about that dance of perspectives, isn't it? Finding our own connections.