SKU: 10111
Acryl on linen
90 x 120 cm
2004

Not for sale.

There are many different types of grass in the Utopia region. Such a variety is called Spinifex, which occurs in the sand fields and sand hills. Spinifex has seeds that are collected, crushed, and made into a dough to make bread that people eat. This grass can reach a height of 15 cm and has a reddish color. It occurs throughout the year, but is especially lush after rains. But grazing cattle and a lot of rabbits make it increasingly difficult to collect the seeds.

In the past, the Aboriginal people collected these seeds in a very unusual way. Since they ripen in different phases, many fell on the ground, were covered by the sand and were therefore not visible. The Aborigines then searched for a particular ant’s nesting site. These ants collected the seeds, ate a certain part and left the rest. The discarded seeds were found in a heap just outside the nest, where they were collected, cleaned, and then ground into a thick batter for damper or bread – an important Aboriginal food source.

The production of this bread is hardly common nowadays due to the introduction of ready-made bread. This grass is important to Barbara. The narrow brushstrokes in warm colors overlap and meander to create a fluctuating effect like the movement of the grass at home. The dreaming for this grass seed has been handed down to her by her ancestors.