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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.
PAST EXHIBITION
Awelye Atnwengerrp
Sep - Nov 2022
Women of Atnwengerrp country perform ceremonies (awelye) to demonstrate respect for the land and ancestors and ensure well-being and happiness within their communities.
Join us in celebrating awelye through the artwork of two sisters in their 90's; Emily and Galya Pwerle.
EXHIBITION ARTWORK
No longer available.
About
It's a beautiful, sunny winter's day in the outback and sisters Emily and Galya Pwerle are out painting in the open air. They're laughing, singing and talking about 'wolatches' ('boobs').
Both in their 90's, they live with family in a network of humpies on the outskirts of a small community on Atnwengerrp country; an ancient red land situated in the far north-east corner of Central Australia's remote Utopia region.
Extension cords run from the community to provide them power for washing machines and other neccessities. A camp fire in the middle of the communal space is always lit, ready to cook meals or boil water. Although new housing is being built, this is the way home has always been.
Today, it's a bit windy so they have positioned themselves on one side of a corrugated tin windbreak set up especially for such conditions.
Canvas is laid out on blankets that blend into the red earth, and rocks are placed on corners of the canvas to save the paintings from being caught in the wind.
And their pups (or fiece guard dogs depending on who you are) are right by their sides.
Emily and Galya did not have any children but are both great grandmothers by way of kinship, and they used to be nannies for a station when they were younger where they also learnt English.
They grew up in a time when hunting game and collecting seeds was a daily ritual, and women's ceremonies were more regular than they are now.
They also have an older sister, Molly Pwerle, who is thought to be just on 100 years of age now. And they had another sister, Minnie Pwerle; a noteable Australian artist who passed away in 2006 after a short but explosive career painting. Minnie was known for painting Awelye Atnwengerrp designs which Emily and Galya also paint.
And they love to paint them.
Awelye Atnwengerrp
Women of Atnwengerrp country perform ceremonies, called awelye, to demonstrate respect for the land and ancestors and ensure well-being and happiness within their communities.
The triangular shapes in Emily's paintings are body paint designs painted onto the 'wolatches' for women's ceremony. While she paints these designs in other ways too, this is how her mother taught her how to paint them.
Galya's paintings often have underlying body paint markings [pictured] which she will semi cover in layers of dots.
Anemangkerr / Bush melon
Occasionally you will see circles in Emily and Galya's paintings which are these little bush melons [pictured] called anemangkerr that grow on their country.
They are one of few varieties of bush tomatoes (nightshade species) in Central Australia that are actually edible. Most are highly poisonous and difficult to discern from those that are edible.
To consume these melons, the fruit is first split like pictured and the bitter seeds discarded.
