Keanu Nelson Tjakamarra 239-22

Keanu has painted Yalka Tjukurrpa (bush onion dreaming) which was his Grandfather Limpi Tjapangarti Puntungka's Tjukurrpa. Given the age of the artist, his practice is informed by a thorough revision of the books documenting the early paintings of Papunya. This Tjukurrpa descends from a powerful site near Tjunkupu which is associated with the intersection of two complex songlines, three sites of which the artist identifies as belonging to. They run from Tjunkupu, through to Winparku and Papunya. Anamarra (Catapillar) is also present at Tjunkupu and runs along the MacDonnell ranges through to Alice Springs. Four ancestral heroes are represented at Tjunkupu, namely the Tjupi, Dog, Serpent and two men lying down. Keanu represents the different elements of this songline in varied ways. If present, there are four women shown, looking into a large hole in the earth. The water travels underneath the ground from many different places to create a soakage in the centre. "When you see that water and that rock... big water in that rock...too powerfull, too dangerous".