ART & CULTURE
Indigenous
DREAMING SUPPORTING AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS ART AND ARTISTS, HONEY ANT GALLERY IS A FAMILY RUN ENTERPRISE PASSIONATE ABOUT PROVIDING HAND-SELECTED ABORIGINAL ARTWORKS FOR ALL TO ENJOY. CREATED WITH TWO MAIN OBJECTIVES - SUPPORT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN CREATING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE AND BRING THE STORIES AND ARTWORK OF THESE AMAZING PEOPLE TO LIGHT.
NANCY NUNGURRAYI WORKING ON WIRRULNGYA
NANCY NUNGURRAYI Nancy Nungurrayi was an exceptionally talented artist of worldwide acclaim. Born in 1935, deep in the Australian Desert in Pollock Hills, Western Australia, Nancy sadly passed away in 2009. Nancy, her clan’s matriarch and senior law woman for her country, grew up in the bush. From a young age, she was instructed on how to locate and extract water and hunt for sand goanna, birds and collect edible flora. Nancy’s artworks always include patterning that represents water. Nancy loved being busy and was often described as being a “bee in a bottle”. She was most happy with a paint
DETAIL OF WIRRULNGYA
brush in her hand and never wanted to be without a canvas. Nancy had an intense passion for what she was painting and unlike most artists, who paint one story over and over, painted enormous variety. Every canvas is unique, as Nancy painted the creation story of various locations throughout her country. She would always sing the creation story as she painted. Nancy was inseparable from her sister Naata, also a world-renowned artist. Nancy and her sister supported their large extended family with the proceeds of their art and were both incredibly proud of their success and ability to support their family. Their works are housed by private and public collections worldwide.
NANCY NUNGURRAYI WIRRULNGYA, 2004 151CM X 122CM
DID YOU KNOW ABORIGINAL ARTISTS PAINT AN AERIAL OR BIRDS-EYE PERSPECTIVE SO THEIR PAINTINGS CAN HANG ANY WHICH WAY? 14 // Social
Words + Photography: HONEY ANT GALLERY
Honey Ant Gallery’s artworks have been carefully hand selected over many years from some of Australia’s most remote art communities. “It’s especially rewarding to showcase emerging artists, and support them on their journey in becoming more established and highly sought after,” says Lisa McLaren from the Sydney gallery. The Gallery represents many superb artists, all with their distinctive styles, especially two exceptional talents, Nancy Nungurrayi and Polly Kngale.
