JILLIAN GILES

Jillian grew up in Kaltukatjara (Docker River) with her parents and her five siblings She went to school in Alice Springs She learned to paint from her mother the Tjukurrpa of the Tjukurla area She has been living and painting both Alice Springs and across the Ngaanyatjarra lands in recent years, and visits family in Tjukurla where she paints with the Tjarlirli artists

This painting is about a Dreamtime story The story is from Jillian's Mother's country 'Mangari' The painting is about a huge tunnel that runs through the ground in the Mangari country The Ngaanyatjarra people call the site 'Kuru Yurltu'meaning 'Hollow Eye' This cavern-like tunnel holds a large body of water , and is the physical representation of a dreamtime story in which a man is speared through the torso as punishment for a crime This tunnel represents the hole in the man ' s body after being speared.