Pukara, a painting from Western Australia, 2013
- Audio guide stop: 163
- Gallery: Room 24
- Maker: Simon Hogan
- Made in: Tjuntjuntjara
- Date: 2013 (April - May)
- Object type: painting
- Materials: canvas
- Museum number: 2013,2035.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is "Pukara," a striking painting on canvas completed in 2013. The background is a deep shade of purple, contrasting with bold circular forms in white and black that suggest elements of the desert landscape. Winding across the canvas are five black snakes, symbolizing ancestral beings from a significant cultural story.
This work comes from the Spinifex People of Western Australia and was painted by four local artists: Simon Hogan, Roy Underwood, Lennard Walker, and Ian Rictor. It reflects a "Dreaming" or songline known as Wati Kutjara, which tells the story of two men on a journey through the Western Desert.
The painting relates to Pukara, a place rich in cultural memory and meaning. The imagery and colors work together to invite you to look more deeply into the stories of the land and its people.
See it in person
Pukara, a painting from Western Australia, 2013 is on display in Room 24 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 163, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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