| Accession Number | AWM2019.1079.1 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Framed: 66.2 cm x 96.5 cm; Unframed: 60.5 x 91 x 2cm |
| Object type | Painting |
| Physical description | Acrylic on cotton canvas |
| Maker |
Brodie, Lindy Nungarrayi |
| Place made | Australia: Northern Territory, Tennant Creek |
| Date made | 2019 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 Period 2010-2019 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: AWM Licensed copyright |
Army Painting (Warramunga: Courage in Difficulties)
Description
Lindy 'Nungarrayi' Brodie (Alyawarr/Kaytetye/Waramungu) completed this work in 2019 after researching the story of the tribal-class destroyer HMAS Warramunga that was named after the Waramungu, her affiliation. The ship's badge shows an Aboriginal man throwing a boomerang and Brodie has reinterpreted this figure to show the presence of Indigenous soldiers in the battlefield.
"They travelled around all over the world everywhere...Long time, they have been fighting for us..." (Lindy Brodie, 2019).
The naming of the HMAS Warramunga and the ship's motto "Courage in Difficulties" pays tribute to the resilience of the Waramungu peoples, having experienced Frontier Conflict during the 1900s, along with the harsh environmental conditions of the Central Desert.
Brodie was born in 1973 and grew up in Alroy Downs, NT and started her career as an artist in Alice Springs at Jukurrpa Arts. In 2003, Brodie moved to Tennant Creek to join Julalikari Arts (or Pink Palace) before finally joining Tartukula Artists as part of Barkly Regional Arts in 2012. Her paintings often revisit the story of her family during the 1940s. Earlier in her career, she has been known for a series of paintings that depict the building of the Alice Springs - Darwin rail link through her Country (Barkly Regional Arts). Brodie is a highly commended artist and was a finalist for the Gallipoli Art prize 2019 and has had works exhibited both nationally and internationally.