Painting of the Week week 1 10

"Body Paint"
125 cm x 181 cm Acrylic on linen 1995

$Aud11,000 + GST 10% for sales in Australia
export price $Aud11,000

Dreaming

Based on traditional body paint designs this painting depicts Body paint designs worn during women’s ceremonies associated with the areas of Utopia.

The Ceremony celebrates an abundance of food sources within the artist’s country and the general health and fertility of the community. The ceremonial designs shown in this painting are worn on the shoulders, chest, breasts around the belly of the woman that are the custodians of this Dreaming.

Women are the principal gatherers of Bush Tucker and most of their paintings relate to these Dreamings and Ceremonial events.

Ada Bird Petyarre

Ada, Born on a section of the old Utopia station at Atangkere, c 1930, remains a significant member of one of the most important groups to develop out of desert painting – the Utopia women. Initially this group, in which Ada played such a prominent part, Produced Desert designs on silk and cotton with the batik technique. These art works were produced first in 1977, the very year that the Anmatyerre and Alyawarre people began moving back on to their traditional land at Utopia Station where they resettled in a variety of outstations.

The success of the batik movement led eventually to the artists -mostly women– trying their hand at painting with acrylic on linen in the summer of 1988-9. Their efforts were well coordinated by CAAMA in what was termed ‘A Summer Project’. The project provided the opportunity for Ada to begin as a painter.

In the 1990’s Ada Bird Petyarre reminds us that so much of desert art originated in body painting designs. During the decade 1989-99 Her painting, now in acrylic on canvas, has come to rely more and more on linear pattern making which at times has the frail quality of ochre or clay on flesh. Her paintings provide one of the last significant links with womens Ceremonial Knowledge. It is her fervent hope that the rising generation will continue to paint, dance and sing the manner of her own ancestors. To this end Ada uses her art to instruct, teach and demonstrate to young women the ways of her parents, grandparents and beyond. Her art appears to be simple, direct and lacking in preciousness. It is, nevertheless, this ‘rawness’ which speaks clearly of her knowledge of the land, her people and their ceremonies.

Ada’s paintings are aligned with her personality; vibrant, outgoing and blatantly honest! She is a lover of bright colours. Her works are expressive of her lifestyle. She is a traditional, senior women who involves herself in Ceremony, dance and painting. She expresses herself to the fullest extent both on canvas and in the rituals of her ancient culture.

She is a wonderful and supportive mother to June, Hilda, Colin, Steven, Paddy and Ronnie and a caring and active grandmother to so many! Her sisters include artists Gloria Petyarre, as well as Nancy, Myrtle, Kathleen, Violet And Jeanie Petyarre.

Her country is Atnangkerre and she paints the Angertla, (Mountain Devil Lizard), Engcarma (Bean), Unyara (Emu), Annlara (Pencil Yam), Kadjera (Grass Seeds) and Elaitchurunga (small Brown Grass) Dreaming.

Exhibitions include: 1988 Aboriginal ‘Dot’ Painting, Melbourne; 1989 Australian National Gallery, Canberra; 1989 Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; 1990, 1994 National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; 1991 Harvard University, Boston, USA; 1993, 1998 Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs; 1993 Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; 1997, 1999, 2000 Aboriginal Galleries of Australia, Melbourne; 1999 Embassy of Australia, Washington, USA; 1999 ‘Indigenous art of the Dreamtime,’ Foyer of the United Nations Building 1999, New York, USA; 2000 ’From Utopia to Kintore‘; Jinta Desert Art and Aboriginal Galleries of Australia; 2001 ‘Icons of Australian Art,’ Singapore , Jinta Desert Art and Aboriginal Galleries of Australia. 2002, 2003 Glen Eira City Gallery, Melbourne.

Ada’s works can be found in many significant public and private collections including; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Art gallery of Queensland, Brisbane; National Gallery Victoria, Melbourne; The Robert Holmes a Court Collection; Museum of Victoria, Melbourne; Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; Artbank, Sydney; Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory; Powerhouse Museum, Sydney; Richard Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA; Queensland University, Brisbane.