303-24MM, Mimili Maku Arts, acrylic on linen, 198 x 189 cm
Walytja - Family Collaboration
This is a collaborative canvas between Emma Singer, her mother Pauline Wangin and Pauline’s sister Betty Campbell. Pauline says about the work: “We’ve painted this big canvas together as a family. This canvas is about kapi tjukula and soakages around Kinara Mimi, Mimili. Our families would move between rockholes, they’d know them all. They would always be looking for clear drinking water. They lived around Antara and many other named places between Kinara Mimi, Antara, Artutja, Paralpi, Blue Hill and Iwantja. All those places are connected, and they used to walk far distances every day. We remember the paths by the songlines that still run through those places. They’d sing the songs, dig for water, and know where to travel. The water was underground, and they’d dig until it seeped upwards. They’d always know. I remember going to Iwantja Soakage with our mother and her showing us how it’s done. We remember this from when we were young, and we want to keep sharing this story for our children and grandchildren. It’s important to remember what we’ve always known.” – Pauline Wangin, 2023
