Lot description
LILY KARADADA born c.1927 Wandjina, 1990 ochre on bark 55 x 27 cm (irregular) bears chalk inscription verso: Lilly, p6915 CHTT, CTIT PROVENANCE Aboriginal Arts Australia, New South Wales, Cat No. P6915 CHTT The Collection of Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO and Sir Nicholas Shehadie AC OBE, Sydney, New South Wales It is said that the Wandjina is the embodiment of the rain spirit and creation ancestor of the Wonnambal, Ngarinyin and Worrora peoples of the North West Kimberley. Wandjina are prolific along the walls of caves in the plateau areas of the North Kimberley coast and are unique to this region. They are always pictured using red ochre from a frontal aspect, with no mouth, large black eyes, and a slit or beak-like nose and are usually depicted in a veil of dots which represent the blood and water mix. The Wandjina emerge from the clouds to bring the monsoon rain each season. As such, it is a powerful fertility figure that keeps the spirits of unborn babies in special rockpools and waterholes. © LILY KARADADA / Copyright Agency, 2026