AM 406/02 Bruce Nabegeyo Namarnkol Djang 1999
Ochres on Arches Paper 1/2 sheet 76 x 102cm C-N-140-9-99 SOLD
The artist has depicted the Namarnkol or barramundi, the renowned game fish of the 'Top End' of Australia. They grow to extraordinary sizes and are excelent eating. The namarnkol can be found in saltwater as well as freshwater billabongs and rivers. These fish have significance as food and as totems and are most easily caught after the end of the monsoon (March -April) until the humid build-up season (October). The namarnkol in this painting has been rendered in the x-ray style with its internal organs showing which is the hallmark of western Arnhem Land paintings. In the background the artist has painted a mandem or water lily edible for humans and fish.