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Our dynamic artists are from the Utopia region, a large remote area of Central Australia with no government funded art centre. It has one of the richest art histories and is strongly female led.
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About the Artists
Our dynamic artists are from the Utopia region, a large remote area of Central Australia with no government funded art centre. It has one of the richest art histories and is strongly female led.
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“The Dreamtime is the mythological representation of what Aboriginal people carry in their minds. The source of life! This knowledge has not just been planted in their minds, it is taught and structured through initiation and ceremony.” - A.P. Elkin, Professor of Anthropology, 1920’s-1930’s
“The Dreamtime is the mythological representation of what Aboriginal people carry in their minds. The source of life! This knowledge has not just been planted in their minds, it is taught and structured through initiation and ceremony.” - A.P. Elkin, Professor of Anthropology, 1920’s-1930’s
Pencil Yam Dreaming
Conkerberry Dreaming
Women's Ceremony
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This painting illustrates breasts painted in elaborate ceremonial body paint patterns, embellished somewhat by artist Tanya Bird. Her real life ceremonial designs are found to be much more simplistic.
The chrome colour scheme is derived from the bush plums called Ahakeye that grow abundantly on her country. Because other colours such as yellow ochre and red ochre are symbolic for other stories, a charcoal background is used as a neutral platform to highlight the black coloured plums.
While referred to as a bush plum, the Ahakeye are actually little currants found growing on the canthium attenuatum shrub which grows about 3m high. This shrub produces small white flowers, deep green citrus-like leaves and the currents which are black when ripe and very small. This fruit is favoured for its sweet taste and can be reconstituted in water if dry.
In this painting, the small black dots represent the Ahakeye which have dried and fallen to the ground.
Women of Ilkawerne perform ceremony for the Ahakeye where they dance and sing the associated songs. Awelye is the Anmatyerre word for women's ceremony.
Colours: white and black on grey background.
Catalogue number: SP0307
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