Untitled (Rockhole Site of Marrapinti) 2005

This untitled painting by Doreen Reid Nakamarra seems to me to be about mark-making and the meditative act of repetition. It is rendered in ochre tones with linear black strokes, like a field of rhythm and variation. I can imagine Doreen, sitting on the ground maybe, and making line after line, thinking about the Rockhole Site of Marrapinti and her connection to that place, that story. The painting is not just a representation; it's a physical record of her time and thought, of how seeing, thinking, and feeling come together as one. You can really see that in the slightly imperfect, irregular cadence of the lines, like tiny breaths across the surface. What I appreciate about this kind of painting is how it slows us down. It invites you to look closely, not for a picture, but for a sensation, a kind of visual hum. It reminds me of Agnes Martin’s grids or even the early weavings of Anni Albers, all of whom are in a similar conversation across time. Like an echo, this work carries the knowledge of generations.