Description

This painting depicts Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay), the country and Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) of the artist’s grandfather and artist, Gideon Tjupurrula Jack. Lake Mackay is located along the Western Australia / Northern Territory border and is the largest of hundreds of ephemeral salt lakes scattered throughout the region.

As passed down to Billy from his grandfather, the painting tells the story of a large bushfire that travelled west from the east, turning the land into a lake, creating Lake Mackay. Wilkinkarra is a site of secret men’s Dreaming.