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Blue tongue lizard 1984

Artwork Blue tongue lizard this artwork made of Natural pigments and synthetic polymer paint on board, created in 1984-01-01
Accession No.
1997.108
Date Created
1984
Gallery location
Not on public display
Department
Indigenous Australian Art
Dimensions A
138.5 x 91.5cm (irreg.)
Media Category
Painting
Secondary Media Category
natural pigments
Medium
Natural pigments and synthetic polymer paint on board
Place Created
Turkey Creek (now Warmun Community), WA
Credit Line
Purchased 1997. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation

In 1974, after Cyclone Tracy claimed the life of Rover Thomas’s relative, he experienced a series of dreams showing the journeys their spirit made between Darwin, Broome and the Kimberley. Inspired by those dreams, this painting is simultaneously a map, a narrative and a mythological emblem.

Blue tongue lizard reflects the genesis of Thomas’s practice and the inspiration that he took from objects used in the Gurirr-Gurirr (Kurrir-Kurrir) ceremony, in which dancers hold painted boards on their shoulders. The artwork relates to an area around Tunnel Creek, north of Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia, and is a good example of the minimalist style that is characterises Thomas’s work.

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© Estate of Rover Thomas

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