Alicka Napanangka Brown
Aboriginal Warlpiri woman
Alicka Napanangka Brown was born in Alice Springs and grew up in the remote Aboriginal community of Yuendumu, 290 km north-west of Alice Springs. Alicka comes from a long line of artists and has a good grounding in painting from watching her family paint and listening to her stories since she was a child.
In 2012, at the age of 14, Alicka began painting for Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu. She mainly paints her Grandmother’s Yanjirlpirri Jukurrpa (Star Dreaming) and her father’s Yarla Jukurrpa (Bush Potato Dreaming), stories that relate directly to the land, its features and the plants and animals that inhabit it. She began using traditional iconography but because of her love for pattern and colour she has developed an individualist style using pattern and design in a variety of contexts to depict her traditional jukurrpa.
@warlu_artArtworks
Bush Potato
This story comes from an area east of Yuendumu called Cockatoo Creek. Here the “Yarla” (Bush Potatoes) grow. These edible tubers grow from the roots of the plant, and when cooked they are soft and tasty.
Yarla Jukurrpa
This Jukurrpa (Dreaming) tells the story of a 'yarla' (bush potato) and 'wapirti (bush carrot) ancetors fighting a big battle. The specific site associated with this painting is a 'mulju' (water soakage) called Ngarparapunyu. In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Jukurrpa, associated sites and other elements. The curved lines of the 'kuruwarri' (ceremonial designs) represent the 'ngamarna' (vine-like tendrils) from which grow 'jinjirla' (flowers).
Yarla Jukurrpa
This Yarla Jukurrpa (Bush Potato Dreaming) comes from an area to the east of Yuendumu Cockatoo Creek. 'Yarla' (Bush Potato) are fibrous tubers that grow beneath a low spreading plant, found by looking for cracks in the ground. This edible tuber grows from 'yartura' (roots) which seek out moisture to sprout new plants. Yarla are good to eat, when cooked they are really soft and tasty.
