Nola Yurnangurnu Campbell

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Artist Nola Yurnangurnu Campbell
Title Yunpalara
Year 2022
Medium

Acrylic on linen

Dimensions 76 × 150 cm
Art Centre Warakurna Artists →

Out of stock

Nola Yurnangurnu Campbell

I remember when I was a little girl, walking to collect water from Tika Tika and taking it back to my family. I remember when Ian Dunlop came out in the 1960s to take photos and film, and I remember my first ‘acting’ job. I remember walking around with family, hunting tirnka (sand goanna), linga (lizards) and lungkarta (blue tongue lizard). I also remember working with Norma Giles, Pirnkanku Carnegie, Mankatji Carnegie, Aubrey Carnegie, Neil Carnegie, Bruce Carnegie and Yeri Carnegie at Patantja (a lake, far from Patjarr). I was a young girl at the time, and I went and got the water, like we did in the early days. I also remember when I was a little girl, staying at Patantja, it was my uncle’s place, my father’s place and all the Brody, Ward and Morgan families. A helicopter would come and drop food off and then leave again. It was a big lake and you could see out a really long way. When I was a bit older, I went to Warburton for school. I’d stay at the creek, Wirrkili creek, go to school at the mission and then come back to our camp spot by the creek. Sometimes we’d go back to Patjarr, and then one time Mr McDougall found us and took us back to Warburton, when they were testing missiles at Woomera. I stayed there a little while, then I got married and went off to Wiluna. I had my baby close by in Meekatharra. Then I came along back here to Patjarr. I have one son and that’s enough for me. The stories I tell in my paintings are from my dreaming, which is Yurranpa Dreaming (honey tree), and from my husband’s dreaming, which is Yunpalara and Wirrwul. I paint my husband’s dreaming because he said I could and it keeps his dreaming alive and strong; it’s also my Country.

Artist statement

Yunpalara (Lake Blair) is a large lakebed west of Patjarr. It is more often dry than not, relying on rainfall to fill it. After rain the lake is home to many water birds. The surface cracks as it dries. Ngirntaka (the perentie goanna) travelling from Well 33 on the Canning Stock Route came through this area and made Yunpalara on his way with a large sweep of his tail.