This portrait honours the life and work of Ngan'gikurrungurr Elder, artist, leader and senior knowledge holder Regina Pilawuk Wilson (b. 1948). It forms part of Ryan Presley's series Blood money, in which the artist borrows and subverts the representative codes of banknotes to highlight their status as enduring markers of colonialism. Working at an enlarged scale, in meticulously applied watercolour, Presley's painted banknotes starkly contrast with the polymer plastic notes in use every day. In this work, the face of the late Queen Elizabeth II, which graces the Australian five-dollar note, is replaced by that of Wilson. The complex symbology of the note, designed to ward off counterfeits, is here transformed. The dollar value becomes an infinity sign, representing the immeasurable cultural value of the subject. At right is the fruit of the pandanus plant and a delicate lotus flower, and at left the sand palm, endemic to northern Australia and integral to weaving practices. Wilson, who is related to Presley, worked closely with the artist to compose the text in language, including the word 'Nimbi' meaning 'old cultural ways', which appears in the form of a banknote's watermark.
Purchased with funds provided by anonymous donors 2024
© Ryan Presley/Copyright Agency, 2024
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