Goanna Dreaming at Mt. Denison to Mt. Wedge Artist: Malcolm Maloney Jagamarra (b. 1955)Region: Willowra, Central AustraliaLanguage Group: Warlpiri.Medium: Acrylic on LinenDate: 1989 Goannas are large lizards found in all regions of Australia. They acquired their name because they resemble iguanas and feature in Aboriginal paintings from many locations. They adapt well to the Australian climate and ecology and can survive well in desert conditions by burrowing underground. The largest goannas can move very quickly across land and can swim and climb trees. Goannas are an essential food source for Aboriginal groups, especially in desert areas where larger animals are rare. Desert people are expert trackers and can see the tracks of goannas and recognize how recently they were made. By following tracks and seeing the most recent signs of movement, they can track to the underground burrows where they dig out the animals. Goannas are respected as a food resource and their existence is written into the Dreamtime stories that account for how the world was created. Goanna Ancestors are part of the Creation mythology of the desert landscape. The Ancestors are said to have turned into the goannas that now populate the deserts and other regions of Australia. In the Aboriginal Art Regions of Central Australia, the Goanna is a totemic spirit and Australian Aboriginal artists paint their Goanna Dreaming to honour their ancestral spirit. Exhibited: ‘Awake to the Dreamtime: Australian Aboriginal Art', San Diego Museum of Man, San Diego, CA, 19 February - 24 May 1993. 'The Evolving Dreamtime: Contemporary Art by Indigenous Australians-Part I', Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, CA, 3 August 1994 – 22 January 1995.Medium: Acrylic on Linen Dimensions: 50 1/4 x 39 1/2 inches (127.6 x 100.3 cm), With frame: 52 1/2 x 41 1/2 inches (133.4 x 105.4 cm) Condition: Custom framed and in excellent condition overall. Provenance: Anne M. Mac Dougall, cat. no. 813416, acquired through Tad Dale of Channing, Dale, Throckmorton Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, Richard Kelton Collection, Santa Monica.
