MINNIE PWERLE - Body Paint, Womens Ceremony 145x89cm

Artist: Minnie Pwerle

Size: 145x89cm

Original framed indigenous art acrylic on canvas, 2005

Certificate of Authenticity available.

Located offsite.

Viewing by appointment only.

MINNIE PWERLE

Minnie Pwerle, was born in Utopia, in the bush country located about 350 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. She, along with her contemporary, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, is one of Australia's greatest female Aboriginal artists. She grew up with the support of her blood family and her wider skin family in Atnwengerrp country, belonging to the Anmatyerre and Alyawarre tribe. Minnie's paintings include two main design themes: Her main Dreaming’s are Awelye-Atnwengerrp (Women’s Dreaming) where she often applied paint loosely, showing free-flowing movement, depicting the body painting designs, traditional ceremonial markings and symbolic patterns of women’s ceremonies across the picture plane. And Bush Melon and Bush Melon Seed.

Minnie and the other women used to collect this fruit and scrape out the small black seeds. They would then eat the fruit immediately or cut it into small pieces, which were skewered and dried ready to be eaten in the coming months when bush tucker was scarce. Minnie represents Bush Melon using curved lines, and circular patterns of varying colours and Sometimes her brushstrokes are layered. These Dreaming’s tell the story of food that comes from a very small bush and is only found in Atnwengerrp. Once very abundant, the bush melon is now very difficult to find.