Untitled 1989

This is an untitled painting by Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, an Aboriginal Australian artist of the Pintupi language group. Notice the concentric circles linked by lines, and a snake winding through them. Circles in Aboriginal art often signify waterholes, campfires, or meeting places—sites of life and sustenance. The lines connecting these circles represent pathways, journeys, or connections between these vital spots. The snake, or serpent, is a powerful symbol, recurring in cultures across the globe as a chthonic animal, but also as a symbol of healing and transformation. Consider the ancient Greek symbol of the serpent entwined around a staff, the Rod of Asclepius, a symbol of medicine. Similarly, the Rainbow Serpent is a deity in Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, a creator and protector of water sources and life. The cyclical shedding of skin also represents the renewal of life. The serpent's path through these waterholes reminds us of our own cyclical journeys, from the depths of the subconscious, emerging again into the light of understanding. The symbols in this image are not linear but cyclical. They resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings in different contexts.