111981981954
Kun-red merlemerle karralkan (bush with butterflies)- Seasons Folio
Butterflies, or merlemerle, are associated with the change in season from wet to dry. They thrive in the areas where yams grow, as the caterpillars eat the leaves of the yam while the tuber grows during the wet. When the tuber is ready for harvesting, in the dry season, the caterpillars have grown into butterflies. The butterflies and yam plants shown in Sandra Milmilkama’s print identify it as an interpretation of this time of year, when many bush foods are ready for harvesting.
This series of nine silkscreen prints is inspired by the cycle of six seasons in the tropical climate of north central Arnhem Land where the artists live. The prints are depictions of specific places at specific times of year, showing the vegetation and animals which are associated with that time and place. The names of the seasons and the places, plants and animals given here are in Kuninjku, which is spoken by most of the artists; a few speak Kune, a closely related dialect. Burarra is used when discussing Vicky Brown’s work as that is her language.
