Indigenous Dreaming

from Beaches COVERED. Issue 28 - CULTURE

What’s in Season Harbord Growers

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.

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.

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 WORKING ON WIRRULNGYA DETAIL OF 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 fl ora. 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

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?

HONEY ANT GALLERY Words + Photography:

POLLY KNGALE BUSH PLUM DREAMING 179 X 96CM

Special Note: Aboriginal readers are warned that this article contains images and references of deceased persons.

NANCY NUNGURRAYI MARRAPINTI 2004 112CM X 102CM

“Our love affair with Aboriginal art developed via many years of travel into central Australia. Steadily we gained an immense appreciation of the Aboriginal people’s culture, humour, ability to prosper in a harsh and unforgiving environment, and staggering artistic talent.”

LISA MCLAREN

POLLY KNGALE BUSH PLUM DREAMING 179CM X 96CM

POLLY KNGALE

Polly Kngale is an immensely respected and accomplished artist from the Utopia region who was born in 1940. Together with her sisters, Polly is a senior custodian of the Bush Plum Dreaming story.

Polly’s artworks are highly sought after for their bold, timeless and joyous quality. Layer upon layer of paint is applied, creating a multi-dimensional, aerial representation of her country where the bush plums are plentiful.

Polly commenced her artistic career with batik like many of the women in Utopia, before venturing into painting with acrylic paints on canvas - a far more broadly appealing medium.

Polly, a highly skilled colourist, often depicts the topography in shades of reds, oranges and yellows refl ecting the varying seasonal palette. With great intuition she applies big, bold dots, each representing the bush plum.

The knowledge of gathering and storing Bush Plums and scattering its seeds is referred to as ‘Bush Plum Dreaming’. Polly honours the spirit of the bush plum with patterns celebrating all aspects of the bush plum fruit.

POLLY KNGALE BUSH PLUM DREAMING 137 X 123CM

Discover Indigenous Art, curated by Honey Ant Gallery. This truly unique collection, housed by Lisa and her family in Sydney and Noosa Heads, showcases one of the world’s oldest living cultures. You can view their beautiful artworks online, and in person by appointment. •