Earth Cyclesby Sarrita King

Drawing on the teachings of her influential father William King Jungala, Sarrita recalls the philosophy he taught her - that everything in life is circular. There is no beginning and no end; the connection between people and the world around them in ongoing.

Sarrita echoes her father's depiction of the Earth Cycles with the repetition of concentric circles across the canvas. The circles and dots identify the connections and relationships found throughout life. Sarrita dots her circles with a stick heavily laded with paint. The paint is so thick that the dots hold form and often contain peaks where the stick left the canvas. The result is prickly, textural and 3-D.

Sarrita usually only uses white and another bold colour, such as red, that slowly bleeds its way across the canvas. True to their title, these paintings are full of youthfulness and provide a sharp contemporary aesthetic.

Artist:Sarrita King
Title:Earth Cycles
ID:09091812
Medium:Acrylic on Belgian Linen
Size:30 x 30 cm
Region:Katherine, Northern Territory

Artist

Sarrita King was born in Adelaide, South Australia on the 5th March 1988. She is the younger sister to fellow artist, Tarisse King and daughter to the late highly regarded artist, William King Jungala (1966 – 2007).

Sarrita inherits her Australian Aboriginality from her father who was part of the Gurindji tribe from the Northern Territory. The Gurindji tribe came to public attention during the 1960s and 1970s when members employed by the Wave Hill cattle station led a landmark case which became the first successful land rights claim in Australia. It is this same strong sense of self and pride that Sarrita embodies and it fuels her drive to paint her totemic landscape.

Sarrita spent most of her youth growing up in Darwin in the Northern Territory. Not far from where her ancestors inhabited, it is here that her connection to her Aboriginality and subsequently the land was able to grow. Her exposure to the imperious weather and extreme landscape has provided the theme for her works of art, since she began painting at age 16. Rolling sand hills, cracking lightning and thunderstorms, torrential rain, fire, desert and tangled bush are all scathing environmental factors that shaped her forefather’s lives and also her own. Depicting these elements in her paintings, Sarrita provides a visual articulation of the earth’s language.

Sabine Haider, Gallerist of Central Art say" Sarrita King is an amazing artist and person. Full of life and optimism and is an example too all upcoming young Aboriginal artists."

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