Your Cart is Empty
About the Artists
Our vibrant and dynamic artists are from the Utopia region; a large remote area of Central Australia which, until recently, had no government funded art centre. As a result of their pioneering efforts, they have one of the strongest and richest art histories.
Conkerberry in Aboriginal Art
It is told that in the Dreamtime, winds blew from all directions carrying the seed of this sweet black berry over the land. The first conkerberry then grew, bore fruit and dropped more seeds. Winds blew these seeds all over the Dreaming lands.
The conkerberry is a sweet black berry favoured by desert Aboriginals. The berries can be eaten straight off the tree, or collected as dry fallen berries and reconstituted in water.
The plant of the conkerberry is a tangled, spiny shrub that can grow up to 2m high and bares medicinal properties. The orange inner bark from the roots can be soaked in water and the resultant solutions can be used as a medicinal wash. This is particularly favoured for skin and eye conditions. The thorns on the shrub can be used to cure warts.
You may know some Utopia Aboriginal artists who paint the Conkerberry Dreaming....Kathleen Ngale, Polly Ngale, Angelina Ngale, Elizabeth Mpetyane and Glady Kemarre to name a few.
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Also in News & Info
Bush Medicine by Laurie Morton Kngwarreye
Laurie's works are simplistic in design, offering something more subtle for your walls.
From Ampilatwatja, he focuses each work on a different bush medicine. We have just a few, with two pieces like this in carbon black with antique white dots on a crisp white canvas.
My Mother's Country Exhibition now open
My Mother's Country showcases fifteen new works on canvas by Anmatyerre artist, Dora Mbitjana, inspired by her mother's country.
Read More
Motorbike Paddy Ngale Finalist in 2023 Telstra NATSIAA
Finalists have been announced for the 2023 Telstra NATSIAA and our very own Motorbike Paddy Ngale, Ahalpere elder, is one of 31 from the Northern Territory.
