1972
Language Group:Kuninjku
Country:West Central Arnhem Land, Northern Territory
Medium:Ochre on Bark, Screen Printing, Wood Carving
Subjects:Namorrorddo (Spirit), Ngalyod (Female Rainbow Serpent), Birlmu (Barramundi), Yawkyawk (Young Woman Spirit), Untitled
Ken is the son of Aboriginal artist Mick Kubarkku, an acclaimed artist, and he learned to paint whilst watching his father.
Known as Ngalyod in the Kuninjku language of western-central Arnhem Land, the Rainbow Serpent is mostly associated with the bodies of water such as billabongs, creeks, rivers and waterfalls, where she resides. Therefore she is responsible for the production of most water plants such as water lilies, water vines, algae and palms that grow near water. The roar of waterfalls in the escarpment country is said to be her voice and the large holes in stony banks of rivers and cliff faces are her tracks.