작품 상세

GEORGE MILPURRURRU 1934 - 1998 Mudokuntjar (Hollow Log/Bone Coffin), 1986 ochre on bark 139 x 68 cm; 150 x 84 cm (perspex box frame) inscribed verso: artist's name, ‘clan' and catalogue number 21WS986 PROVENANCE The Artist, painted in central Arnhem Land, NT Private collection, SA Sotheby's, Aboriginal Art, Sydney, NSW, 29/07/2003, Lot No. 476 Private collection, Vic George Milpurrurru was a central figure in the conception of "The Aboriginal Memorial" (1988), the landmark installation in the National Gallery of Australia. Comprising 200 painted hollow log coffins, the work honours Aboriginal people who died defending their land since colonisation, many of whom were never afforded proper burial rites. In this bark painting, Milpurrurru revisits the hollow log form, its surface adorned with finely detailed natural imagery. The composition reflects his deep ceremonial knowledge and the symbolic resonance of funerary practice within his culture. While rooted in ancestral tradition, the work is also a contemporary statement of remembrance and sovereignty, affirming the endurance of Aboriginal law, memory, and spiritual continuity across generations. @ GEORGE MILPURRURRU / Copyright Agency, 2025