SPOTLIGHT ON WANDJINA

The Wandjina has a special place in Australian art history and culture. It is one of the most recognisable images that has come from Australian art, even being re-created in impressive fashion for the 2000 Sydney Olympics by Kimberley artist Donny Woolagoodja. The iconic Wandjina can be seen in anthropological and artistic collections all over the world. It is present in rock art from north western Australia dating back to approx. 4000 years ago. This makes it one of the oldest forms of human art expression in the world. Wandjina spirits are traditionally represented using broad brush stokes with no mouth and with large lines or blocks of colour radiating from their heads. The lines around the Wandjina typically represent lightning and the lack of a mouth indicates the power of the spirit. It is thought that they do not need words to communicate. It is further believed that the Wandjina created the landscape and its inhabitants, specifically they are rain and cloud gods, and if they had a mouth the rain would never stop. Mowanjum community in north Western Australia repaints the Wandjina rock art in their country every year, to preserve them and to ensure the monsoon rains will come, a practice that has continued since the first painting was done 4000 years ago. Our Spotlight on Wandjina illuminates the work of a number of Kimberley artists including the iconic Donny Wooolagoodja whose work has been instrumental in providing information and keeping the culture and spirit of the Wandjina alive. We invite you to view these artworks below and are offering free domestic shipping on these works until June 7th 2021.

In our efforts to continue to support and promote the industry we love and the artists we work with during the pandemic, Short St Gallery are doing Artist Profiles and Community Spotlights regularly, often with a special promotion, so keep your eyes on our emails in 2021 for that little bit of something special. We are offering free domestic shipping on works from the Spotlight on Wandjina viewing room until June 7th 2021.
You can access our fun View on a Wall option by clicking on an image and then selecting View on a Wall. You can contact us via email or phone for all enquiries, to arrange a live chat or have additional images sent to you. We will also be posting videos and still footage of the featured artworks on our social media accounts to bring a little bit of the joy of art to your lounge rooms.