Indigenous Art of the Dreamtime

Gabriella Possum Nungarrayi

44. Grandmothers Country 1999, 122 x 91cm

Born in Mt Allan in 1967, Gabriella Possum Nungarrayi is a talented Aboriginal artist from the Central Desert and one of a rising group of younger painters who hold the future of the desert art movement in their hands. Working with traditional stories this artist has been inventive enough to present them in a new way; a way which obviously appeals to established and new-generation collectors.

Gabriella, the eldest daughter of the renowned Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, began painting at an early age alongside her father. He is currently passing on his skills to his daughters whose paintings reflect his unique style. Whilst Clifford may teach about technique and technicalities, Gabriella, like every other Aboriginal, remains her own person when it comes to painting her given dreamings.

45. Grandmothers Country 1998, 134 x 60cm

Gabriella’s artistic skill was first rewarded in 1983 when she gained an award in the prestigious Alice Springs Art Prize while still a student at Yirara College. Her work has been praised as being “innovative” and “culturally significant”. Gabriella uses modern materials (acrylic paints on canvas) to create traditional designs. Her colours are inspired by the dramatic contrast in colour of the Central Desert landscape. Gabriella’s Dreamings include Women’s Ceremonies, Milky Way, Bush Tucker, Goanna and Serpent Dreamings which have been handed down through generations of ancestors. Of these it is the Milky Way (Seven Sisters) dreaming which is drawing more and more attention to her work. This story has allowed Gabriella to set her imagination free and invite us into the night sky with its myriad of stars and dreamings. It is not difficult to imagine why the stars play such a significant role in Aboriginal storytelling. Gabriella’s Seven Sisters Dreaming is related in the introductory essay to this catalogue. One should note the controlled ‘spatter’ technique which so effectively delineates the vastness of the night sky.

For such a young artist she has achieved considerable recognition, and has quickly slipped from beneath the shadow of her famous father. In 1999 Gabriella is an established painter in her own right and has achieved this status largely due to her technical innovation and daring.

46. Women’s Ceremony 1998, 123 x 94cm

Gabriella’s work has been exhibited in Washington DC, USA, 1992; London, 1993; Berne, Switzerland 1993 and has also featured in many group exhibitions in Australia and overseas. Collections include the National Gallery of Australia (Canberra), the Museum Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, the Flinders University Art Museum Adelaide, the Holmes A Court Collection Perth, the Kelton Foundation Collection, Winterthur Collection Switzerland and many others.

47. Women’s Ceremony 1993, 91 x 61cm

48. Milky Way, Seven Sisters Dreaming 1998, 242 x 201cm