About the Artwork

Nyangatja puli Ulurunya, nganampa ngura Tjukurpa pulka tjara. Kala painting tjuta palyalpai-amilapai Culture Centre-ngka, minga tjuta nganampa nguraku nintiringkula kulintjaku.

“This is the rock known as Uluru, our home with its powerful law. We do our paintings at the Culture Centre so visitors can learn about our country, understand it, and respect it.”

The artist has surrounded their depiction of Uluru with patterns seen in the land. From a very young age, children begin to learn from their grandparents and parents as they share stories, using the fine red sand of the earth as a canvas to illustrate and explain their teachings. These stories and images inspire their art, and Anangu take pride in making a living for themselves and their families through it. In turn, they educate their own children, who watch them work and learn the stories behind the designs.

Uluru is the site of many significant ancestral creation stories of this area, such as Liru (the poisonous snake man) coming from the west, and Minyma Kuniya (Woma Python Woman) traveling from the east to Uluru to seek revenge for her nephew. The Mala people come to Uluru from the north to practice ceremony, retreating to the south as Kurpanya (the evil spirit in the form of a dog) chases them away. The stories also include Lungkata (blue-tongue lizard) and Panpanpalala (crested bellbird).