12 AM 8183/11
Pansy Napangardi Pikilyi Dreaming 1999
Acrylic on linen 725 x 740mm $3200
This painting depicts the Wanampi landscape at the artist’s father’s country. Her father’s name was Ben Japanungka.
This is a permanent spring with running water and representing home to a Dreamtime water snake (Wanampi) - a place of
very good water with reeds about with bloodwood trees. This is the site generally known as Vaughan Springs, which has a
number of permanent springs in the surrounding rocky outcrop.
The area is often referred to by the name of the main spring which is Pikilyi - a spring which flows into a reed surrounded
rock hole which in turn flows out along a reed and teatree lined creek. It was a Warlpiri people’s major fallback water
source for survival in times of severe drought.
The white overlaying circles are women’s body paint designs.