DESERT STARS

ARTITJA FINE ART GALLERY Presents

DESERT STARS

27 October – 19 November 2023

TERRACE GREENHOUSE GALLERY 223 South Terrace, South Fremantle

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We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians, the Nyoongar people of the Wadjuk nation on whose land we live and work, and pay our respects to Elders, past and present.

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Front Cover: Selina Teece Pwerl 120x90cm My Country

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By Summerdrought - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47966216

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SELINA TEECE PWERL Selina Teece Pwerl is an innovative artist whose love of and connection to country is absolute. Realist landscapes, spinifex and gum blossoms contribute to a body of work developed over the past decade. Selina is the main exhibitor in this exhibition which includes a small group of artists from the eastern central desert, whose home is in and around the Utopia region.

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Selina Teece Pwerl 120x120cm | My Father's Country ART3644STP

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The inspiration for Selina Teece Pwerl’s My Father’s Country paintings is drawn from her traditional life experiences on her country, Antarrengeny. She reflects on the delicious bush foods collected by men and women, and the burst of colour in the desert after the rains, when the wildflowers abound.

Selina feels very strongly about her traditional values and way of life, and at every opportunity would take her children hunting, collecting and camping, keeping the traditional ways alive.

A drive through Antarrengeny country takes you through wide open plains of red sand and spinifex grass, wooded areas of mulga shrubs, whilst occasionally crossing dry sandy river beds with it banks shaded by the majestic red river gums.

Rocky outcrops hide precious underground water soaks and rock holes. After a season of good rain alpitye – bush flowers burst out in fields of colour.

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Selina Teece Pwerl 120x90cm | My Country ART3716STP

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Selina Teece Pwerl 151x121cm | My Father's Country ART3113STP

Selina Teece Pwerl 45x45cm My Father's Country ART3718STP and ART3719STP

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Selina Teece Pwerl 151x91cm | My Father's Country ART3687STP

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Selina Teece Pwerl 121x71cm | My Father's Country ART3485STP

Selina Teece Pwerl 121x83cm | My Father's Country ART3440STP 11

SELINA TEECE PWERL Selina Teece Pwerl was born in 1977. Her traditional country is Antarrengeny which lies in Alyawarr country north of the Utopia region in Central Australia Selina grew up surrounded by artists and developed her own artistic talents at a very young age. Her introduction to painting came about as a young child in the 1980’s when her Mother Lulu Teece Pitjara was involved in the silk batik project documented in Utopia: A Picture Story in which eighty eight Utopia artists were involved.

Her favourite painter and inspiration was Albert Namatjira. She remembers seeing his work at Araluen Art Gallery in Alice springs when she was young.

At school (Yulara College) she painted with watercolour and enjoyed working in that medium. Encouraged by her mother to paint she would sit both with Lulu and her aunty Maggie Kemarre an established painter, who was another inspiration.

Selina recalls fond memories of her childhood in which as kids they had the freedom to roam out bush with her friends - sometimes they would go out and do ‘pretend camping’ – the kids would take their bicycles and pretend swags and say they were going out bush hunting but would return by the evening. These are very happy memories for Selina and she is passing these on to her own children, so that they too will enjoy the fun and adventure of living out bush.

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In 2010 Artitja Fine Art Gallery hosted Selina and her mother Lulu’s visit to Perth, for the opening of MOTHER AND DAUGHTER exhibition at EARLYWORK in South Fremantle, Western Australia. The exhibition was to focus on Lulu’s paintings whilst introducing her daughter Selina as a young emerging artist.

Due to flooding in the region causing road closures,Lulu’s paintings didn’t arrive in time for the exhibition.

Selina became the key artist, with just three works of Lulu’s on display. The exhibition was a resounding success, and Selina was on her way to successfully continuing her artistic career.

It was also the first time that Selina had flown out of her country and, indeed the first time she had visited the coast. This photograph, taken in March 2010 at South Beach in South Fremantle is a great reflection of that sheer joy of seeing the ocean for the first time.

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Selina Teece Pwerl 100x70cm I Gum Blossom ART1686STP

Selina Teece Pwerl 100x70cm I Gum Blossom ART1338STP 16

Selina Teece Pwerl 45x45cm Gum Blossom ART2294STP

Selina Teece Pwerl 45x45cm Gum Blossom ART2313STP

Selina Teece Pwerl 150x70cm I Gum Blossom ART1848STP 17

Selina Teece Pwerl 120x70cm | Kurrajong ART51831STP

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Selina Teece Pwerl 90x90cm | Kurrajong Seeds ART2646STP

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Selina Teece Pwerl is constantly experimenting with design and colour. She feels a great sense of satisfaction with the response to her unique intricate Spinifex design which she has created, using a fan brush to apply the spinifex shapes, and an intricate background of dots, creating a threedimensional impression.

When Selina first came across a fan brush it conjured up images of the spinifex bush. She began experimenting with colour, shape and design to produce which is now one of Selina’s most well loved designs.

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Selina Teece Pwerl 45x45cm | Spinifex Top to bottom: ART3140STP | ART3135STP | ART3141STP

Selina Teece Pwerl 180x70cm I Arlatyeyt – Spinifex ART22055STP 21

Bush Tomato plant in flower 22

Selina Teece Pwerl 120x100cm Akatyerre - Bush Tomato ART1609STP

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Belinda Golder Kngwarreye and Janet Golder Kngwarreye

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Belinda Golder Kngwarreye was born in 1986 in

Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, and grew up amidst the famous artists of Utopia including Gloria Petyarre, Emily Kngwarreye, Greeny Purvis and Emily’s brother Kudditji Kngwarreye and others, both bloodline and kin relatives. This exposure to the contemporary art designs from a young age is what has led to the skill and natural ability shown by Belinda.

The theme for Belinda’s paintings come from her grandmother’s story. A common theme painted by the Utopia artists, and artists of that region (eastern central desert) Bush Plum is a woman’s story that belongs to Alhalkere country. In her Bush Plum flower paintings, Belinda’s application of thick layers of paint blended with a large bristle brush results in a delicate floral motif representative of the flowers of the Bush Plum or Conkleberry. The Anmatyerre women of Utopia still celebrate awelye – women’s ceremony, for this very important bush food.

Belinda is a popular emerging artist whose beautiful paintings have already been exhibited widely and have found their way into private collections both in Australia and overseas.

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Belinda Golder Kngwarreye 200x100cm Bush Yam Flowers ART3598BGK

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Belinda Golder Kngwarreye 118x95cm Bush Yam Flowers ART3102BGK

Belinda Golder Kngwarreye 119x95cm Bush Yam Flowers ART3516BGK

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Belinda Golder Kngwarreye 93x47cm My Country ART3720BG

Belinda Golder Kngwarreye 118x69cm | My Country ART3501BG

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Belinda Golder Kngwarreye 95x98cm My Country ART3554BG Belinda Golder Kngwarreye 95x100cm My Country ART3530BG

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Janet Golder Kngwarreye is an

Anmatyerre woman born November 1973. Her traditional country is Alhalkere, situated 250km’s North East of Alice Springs in the Utopia Region of Central Australia Like her sister Belinda, Janet developed her artistic skills from a very early age as she watched and learned from renowned Australian artists such as her aunty the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye, her uncle’s Greeny Purvis Petyarre and Kubbitji and her aunties, the well-known Petyarre sisters.

The theme for Janet’s paintings relate to the main women’s stories from her father’s country. Ntyerrm - the bean and seeds from the awenthe – dogwood tree, arnkerrthe - Mountain Devil Lizard and awelye– women’s ceremonial body paint design for these stories.

Her work has been represented in many group exhibitions and can be found in many private collections both in Australia and overseas.

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Janet Golder Kngwarreye 200x120cm | My Country ART3319JGK 34

L : Janet Golder Kngwarreye 123x50cm | My Country ART3641JG R: Janet Golder Kngwarreye 123x50cm | My Country ART3642JG

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Janet Golder Kngwarreye 142x91cm | My Country ART3640JG

Janet Golder Kngwarreye 124x78cm |My Country - Alhalkerre ART3673JGK

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Janet Golder Kngwarreye 95x79cm | My Country ART3405JG

Janet Golder Kngwarreye 45x45cm | My Country L: ART-JNG1 R: ART-JNG2 37

Janet Golder Kngwerreye 80x60cm | Ahalkere My Country ART23511JG

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Ada Pula Beasley and Caroline Petrick Kngwarreye

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Ada Pula Beasley is an Alyawarr woman born on her mother’s

country Ampilatwatja in 1959. Part of a very large extended family, Ada had been living with her mother Jilly Holmes and her sister Michelle Pula Homes in the small community of Ampilatwatja, where she painted until she moved more recently to be closer to her children and grandchildren in the tiny out station of Wettengerr in the Epenarra Community. Wettengerr is Ada’s Grandfather and father’s ancestral country, it lies on Alyawarr land approximately 500 kms north east of Alice Springs.

Ada began painting in 2012 developing her extraordinary style of realist landscape painting using layers of colour by expertly utilising multiple shades of green resulting in Ada’s landscapes being reminiscent of English gardens. After a good rainy season in the desert the arid landscape of Central Australia becomes a colour field and holds an abundance of birdlife and flowery fields of native plants.

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Ada Pula Beasley 95x90cm My Country ART3609APB

Ada Pula Beasley 45x40cm | My Country L-R: ART7231APB | ART7232APB | ART7233APB

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Caroline Petrick Kngwarreye is an Eastern Arrernte and Alyawarr women born c 1978. Her traditional country is Irrerlirre approximately 250km north east of Alice Springs in the beautiful Harts Range

Caroline began her artistic journey in 2007 and developed her talents under the tutelage of her mother Jill Kelly Kemarre. Her subtle paintings of intricate patterns of dot work and splashes of colour relate to her mother’s country and stories from Irrwelty. These stories include arnwekety – conkerberry, ntange – seeds and awelye – women’s ceremony.

Her works have been included in exhibitions both nationally and internationally.

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Caroline Petrick Kngwarreye 210x90cm | My Beautiful Country ART3704CPN 43

Caroline Petrick Kngwarreye 90x70cm | My Beautiful Country ART3708CPN

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Abie Loy Kemarre Lizzie Moss Pwerle

and Colleen Wallace Nungarrayi

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Abie Loy Kemarre Abie Loy is the eldest of five children, and was born on Utopia station, about 270km north east of Alice Springs n 1972. Abie is the daughter of Margaret Loy Pula (winner of the Wynne Prize in 2012). Her aunt is the celebrated artist, Gloria Petyarre and her grandmother is the senior woman artist, Kathleen Petyarre, both now sadly deceased.

A very innovative mid-career artist, she began painting at the age of 19 and mentored by grandmother Kathleen Petyarre, who taught her the methodology of using details and tiny shimmering dotting to create complex optical effects.

Over the years, Abie further developed her skills as an artist to become an extraordinarily talented colourist and designer, experimenting with elements of line, colour and form.

Abie is a custodian of the Bush Hen Dreaming which she inherited from her Grandfather. At the simplest level, her Bush Hen Paintings represent the bush hen travelling in search of bush seeds scattered across the country. Other themes in Abie's paintings are the Bush Medicine Leaf Dreaming, Emu Dreaming, and Sandhills and Body Paint Designs including Awelye.

Abie Loy's artworks are held in major collections worldwide. Her Batik works were exhibited in Bali, and her works on canvas have been exhibited widely in galleries in Australia and Overseas.

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Abie Loy Kemarre 200x106cm | Bush Medicine Story ART8780ALK (inset – detail) 47

Lizzie Moss Pwerle is an Alyawarra woman from Atnwengerrp, a

traditional country area in the Utopia region of Central Australia, approx. 300kms north east of Alice Springs. Lizzie began her artistic career using non-traditional materials in the late seventies and early eighties with the batik program that was initially introduced by the first art and craft coordinators Jenny Green and later Julia Murray. Lizzie was involved in the ‘Utopia: A Picture Story’ exhibition, a collection of 88 silk batiks that is now part of the Holmes ‘a Court Collection. From there, it was a natural progression from batik to applying paint to canvas.

In her paintings, Lizzie uses a series of intricate dots to portray the movement of awelye – women's ceremony. The linear work indicates the lines that the women make in the red sand when they dance their stories that belong to Atnwengerrp country.

Lizzie is a first cousin to the late, great Minnie Pwerle.

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Lizzie Moss Pwerle 120x70cm | Dancing Lines ART3532LP

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Colleen Wallace Nungarrayi was born in 1974 and is a self taught artist who comes from a strong family tradition of Eastern Arrernte painters including Kathleen and Gabrielle Wallace.

Colleen’s father's country is Annamurra near Harts Range, north east of Alice Springs and her mother’s country is Arrulka near Coniston, west of Alice Springs. Her Yam Dreaming links through to the country of Ada Bird Petyarre. Kenny Tilmouth Panangka, her grandfather, has given her the rights to paint Yam Dreaming.

Colleen began painting in 1990 under the tutelage of her aunties Gabriella and Kathleen Wallace. Her paintings relate to the Pencil Yam Story – Arlatyeye which belongs to Annamurra country. Colleen also paints awelye – women’s ceremony and Dreamtime Sisters who dance the stories surrounding the Pencil Yam Dreaming.

Her paintings are precise dot designs with a colour field varying from warm earth tones to vibrant complementary colours. The arc designs in Bush Yam paintings refer to the digging sites.

Colleen's work incorporate ceremonial body design and more detail designs associated to the Bush Yam, the vine and its flower which only grows in green times.

Colleen lives with her husband and five children travelling between Alice Springs and her husband;s family at Mulga Bore Outstation in the Utopia region.

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Colleen Wallace Nungarrayi 89x90cm | Dreamtime Sisters ART3639CW

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Colleen Wallace Nungarrayi 61x46cm L: ART3663CW Centre: ART3664CW

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Awelye – Ceremony Time Right : ART3665CW

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With gratitude and thanks to the artists whose paintings enlighten our lives through story, colour and inspiration.

All artists work through Alpitye Art Studio and we would like to thank Phillipa Leembrugen and Jenny Dietrich for mentoring the artists and their ongoing assistance in the development of their professional art practice. We have worked closely with Alpitye since their inception and value their commitment and care.

Artist and artwork information supplied by Alpitye Art Studio and Artitja Fine Art Gallery Publication copyright © Artitja Fine Art Gallery 2023 Artworks copyright the respective artists and Artitja Fine Art Gallery Design and copy by Anna Kanaris Artitja Fine Art Gallery is a member of the Indigenous Art Code

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Since opening in March 2004, Artitja Fine Art Gallery have specialised in presenting art from First Nations artists from multiple remote community Aboriginal Art Centres throughout Western Australia and the Northern Territory, including the Tiwi Islands and the Anangu, Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. Artitja is based in South Fremantle and open by appointment daily.

Artitja holds up to five exhibitions a year in gallery exhibition spaces, details of which can be found on our website. At all other times we are open for viewing by appointment.

Operating by appointment enables us to make the gallery visit comfortable and accessible. We pride ourselves on providing a personalised and informative approach to viewing and collecting art in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

- Artitja Director Anna Kanaris

"Making Cultural Connections through Art“ Enquiries welcome via www.artitja.com.au | info@artitja.com.au | @artitjafineartgallery PO BOX 406, SOUTH FREMANTLE 6162, WESTERN AUSTRALIA | +61 418 900 954

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