About the Artwork

Cecelia has painted the three prominent land formations of the central desert region; Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and Atila (Mt Conner). They are puli mankurpa (three rocks), and hold great significance to Anangu. The rock formations are represented by symbolic concentric circles, and the surrounding curved shapes refer to the tali (sand dunes) that form the country of this area. When seen from an aerial perspective, puli mankurpa form a straight line across the desert plains, as painted here; Cecelia illustrates their importance through the linking lines between the three shapes, like a map. The sweeping white lines that stretch out to the edges of the canvas allude to the salt lakes that lie amidst these land formations, land once walked upon by the ancestral Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) in the Tjukurpa (Creation Time).

“Tjukurpa wangkapai, I talk story through my canvas, to Anangu and to visitors.” (Cecelia Yakiti)