Kirriwirri, 2007, Jan Billycan
Raw pigment on linen, 75cm x 56cm
Provenance: Short Street Gallery, Broome. Private collection, Tasmania. Deutscher and Hackett, Sydney.
Jan Billycan is a respected medicine woman in Ilyarra country. As a medicine woman, she has had the ability of x-ray vision, which enabled her to see the cell-like compositions she produces in her works. Her country has jila (living water), including Karrparti, Kawarr, Jurntiwa and Wirrguj, and this area which she saw on her travels in the land. Jan says ‘in living water there is a quiet snake.’Sometimes he rises up, but we sing him down sometimes he can travel and bring rain. Ilyarra is my country Ilyarra, where I grew up. Lots of tali (sand dunes) and jilt in this country. This big dog country' (1).
'This place is the birth place of my father’s clan. Our clan is also named Kirriwirri, and call each individual members of this clan Kirriwirri. There is a big marla (mud flat) at this place. This is what this painting is about.’ Kirriwirri is in the Great Sandy Desert and this work shows tali (sand dunes) and jila (living water) (2).
Other works by this artist: