Fire Dreaming at Parikulaman

The ceremony depicted in Fire Dreaming at Parikulaman tells the story of Old Man and how he lights a fire at Parikulaman, which destroys the camp and depletes food sources. The ceremony is used to teach young men, with the same designs being painted onto the bodies and shields of participants.

Like many of the artists in Gifted, Long Jack – named for his height – was a founding member of Papunya Tula Artists. He was its chairman in 1975 and again in the early 1990s. In 2010, he reflected, ‘We started it, like a bushfire, this painting business, and it went every way: north, east, south, west, Papunya in the middle.’