Acrylic Painting

This is an acrylic on canvas painting by Bessie Nakamarra Sims. The title of the work - "Janganpa Jukurrpa" or "Possum Dreaming" - reflects a creation story that is owned by the artist and the other Walpiri people of her community. The story and the painting are based on the creation of the land that is sacred to them.

Acrylics on canvas have been used by Aboriginal artists to depict creation stories since the 1970s. These paintings have attracted the attention of the international art market, providing Aboriginal communities with a valuable source of income and new opportunities for the development of creative expression.

Nakamarra Sims is a member of the Warlukulangu Aboriginal Artists Association, based at and owned by an Aboriginal community of about 800 Walpiri people, at Yuendumu, 300 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs in the Tanami Desert. The aim of the organisation, which was established in 1985, is 'to capture the spiritual relationship of the land and its people as it is experienced in contemporary Walpiri culture.'

This painting was purchased by Brighton Museum in 1995. It is on display in the James Green Gallery of World Art, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.