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Chara the fireman 1972

Artwork has not been digitised or not available due to pending copyright clearence, thus not currently available online
Accession No.
2022.007a-t
Date Created
1972
Gallery location
Not on public display
Department
Indigenous Australian Art
Dimensions A
20 parts: 11.8 x 11.7 x 3.5cm (irreg., each); 59 x 47 x 3.5 cm (irreg., overall)
Media Category
Ceramic
Secondary Media Category
earthenware
Medium
Handbuilt earthenware tiles with underglazes
Credit Line
Purchased 2022. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation

Chara the fireman 1972 is one of Thanakupi’s earliest works – exhibited at her communal studio–house ‘Volta’, in the Sydney suburb of Glebe. This 20-tiled mural conveys the fire maintenance story of Chara, who ‘steals’ or extinguishes the fire of the Napranum tribes. A custom of the Napranum tribes was to appease Chara with food offerings, which he would collect during the night. When the tribespeople failed to do so, an enraged Chara would extinguish the vital resource. This mural serves as a diagrammatic reminder of the importance of continuing and maintaining traditional customs and practice.

(This story was originally told to Thanakupi by Old Man Cockroach.)

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