Lorrkon, 2008, Deborah Wurrkidj
(far left)
Eucalyptus with ochre pigment, 181cm x 180m
Provenance: Gabrielle Pizzi Gallery, Melbourne.
Deborah Wurrkidj is a highly regarded, versatile artist who has readily adapted to new art forms while retaining her strong clan traditions. She is a leading textile artist and an integral member of Bábbarra Women’s Centre. Wurrkidj’s work is vibrant, tactile and intricate, evocative of the local natural environment as well as referencing her deep cultural knowledge. She is renowned for her bark paintings, hollow logs and fibre baskets (1).
From the authenticity certificate: The Lorrkon or bone pole coffin ceremony was the final ceremony in a sequence of mortuary rituals celebrated by the people of Arnhem Land. This ceremony involves the placing of the deceased’s bones into a hollow log, which is decorated with painted clan designs and ceremonially placed into the ground where it remained until it slowly decay over many years. The log is made from a termite hollowed stringybark tree (Eucalyptus tetradonta) and is decorated with totemic emblems.