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MB014963

Awelye (Women's Ceremony) for Arnkerrthe (Mountain Devil Lizard)

Ada Bird Petyarre

Ada Bird Petyarre

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Medium
Acrylic on Linen
Size
90 x 90cm
Year Painted
2002
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MB014963

Awelye (Women's Ceremony) for Arnkerrthe (Mountain Devil Lizard)

Info

Catalogue Number:MB014963 ,Width: ,Height:

Info

Catalogue Number:
MB014963

Artist Profile

Ada was involved in the art movement of Utopia since its inception. She began wi…

Artist Profile

Artist Profile

Ada Bird Petyarre
Born:

c. 1930

Deceased:

2009

Language Group:

Anmatyerre

Country:

Atnangkere, Utopia Region, North East of Alice Springs, Northern Territory

Medium:

Acrylic on Canvas and Linen, Batik on Silk, Print Making

Subjects:

Awelye (Women's Ceremony), Arnkerrthe (Mountain Devil Lizard) Dreaming, Bush Beans, Awelye (Women's Ceremony) for Arnkerrthe (Mountain Devil Lizard)

Ada was involved in the art movement of Utopia since its inception. She began with the Utopia Women's Batik Group in the late 1970's where her work was exhibited extensively and featured on the cover of the Utopia - A Picture Story publication by A. Brody (Heytesbury Holdings, Perth, 1990). In 1988 Ada subsequently began painting with acrylics during CAAMA's Summer Project and continued in this medium until suffering a stroke 2004.

Ada's work is represented in many major and private collections all over the world. She is known for her bright, bold linear patterns often incorporating breasts, indicating women's ceremonial body paint designs associated with the Arnkerrthe (Mountain Devil Lizard) Dreaming for Atnangkere and Ahalkere Country. This Dreaming story was the most significant for Ada along with her sisters, Kathleen, Gloria, Myrtle, Violet, Nancy and Jean Petyarre (also known as the Seven Petyarre Sisters).

Ada always painted like her personality: vibrant, outgoing and blatantly honest! She was a lover of bright colours, in particular blue, but also painted in more traditional and subdued colours. Fine detailed works are not traditional of her group nor were they any part of Ada's works. She is a traditional senior Aboriginal woman who involved and expressed herself to the fullest extent both on canvas and in her ancient culture, her most favoured works being the women's ceremonial body paint designs (Awelye) for the Mountain Devil Lizard (Arnkerrthe).

Ada had two daughters, June and Hilda and four sons, Paddy, Colin, Stephen and Ronnie. All married and had children of their own. Ada had over 30 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren when she passed. When Ada was asked how many grandchildren she had she replied, whilst slowly shaking her head, 'too many!' Many of her large extended family have continued Ada's tradition and are Utopia artists too.

COLLECTIONS
Mbantua Gallery Collection, Alice Springs, NT
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT
The Holmes à Court Collection, Perth, WA
The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA
University of Queensland, Anthropology Museum, St Lucia, QLD
EXHIBITIONS
1988
Time before Time, Austral Gallery, St Louis, Missouri, USA
1988
Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW
1990
Utopia - A Picture Story, an Exhibition of 88 works on Silk by Utopian artists, Holmes à Court Collection, toured Eire and Scotland
1991
Flash Pictures, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT
1991
8th National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
1992
Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC
1992
New Tracks Old Land, Touring USA and Australia
1993
10th National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
1999
Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
1999
Caring for Country - Artists of Utopia, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, SA
2000
Utopia Women, Red Desert Gallery, Eumundi, Sunshine Coast University and Noosa Blue Resort, QLD
2001
Walkabout Indigenous Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2002
Mbantua Gallery USA exhibitions
2003
Seven Sisters, Chrissie Cotter Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2004-2006
Evolution of Utopia - opened by the Honorable Robert Hill, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
REFERENCES
Brody, A.
(1990) Utopia: a Picture Story, 88 Silk Batiks from the Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Heytesbury Holdings, Perth, WA
Brody, A.
(1989) Utopia Women's Paintings The First Works on Canvas, A Summer Project 1988-89, exhib.cat., Heytesbury Holdings, Perth, WA
Morphy, H.
(1998) Aboriginal Art, Phaidon Press ©
Stanislawsk-Birnberg, M.
(1990) Journeylines ©

Information

Artist Name, Artwork Size, Medium, Year Painted,

Information

Artist Name:
Ada Bird Petyarre
Artwork Size:
90 x 90cm
Medium:
Acrylic on Linen
Year Painted:
2002
Title:
Awelye (Women's Ceremony) for Arnkerrthe (Mountain Devil Lizard)
Free Shipping Worldwide!:
This painting on linen will be shipped in a cylinder to you free of charge, worldwide! An option to have this painting 'stretched' onto a wooden frame may be available. If selected, further charges will apply and will be calculated at checkout.

Description

Ada paints Awelye (Women's Ceremonial and Body Paint Designs) for Arnkerrthe (Mountain Devil Lizard), a gentle little lizard that is covered in thorns. For added protection it is able to camouflage itself by changing its skin colour with its surroundings. The changing of skin colour is represented by the colours used in this painting. The Arnkerrthe is very sacred to Ada and the people of her country. In the Dreamtime, the Arnkerrthe travelled over Ada's land creating all of the people, sacred sites, songs and other Dreamtime stories.

Linear designs represent Awelye. These designs are painted onto the chest, breasts, arms and thighs. Powders ground from red and yellow ochre (clays), charcoal and ash are used as body paint and applied with a flat stick with soft padding. The women sing the songs associated with their Awelye as each woman takes her turn to be 'painted-up'. Women perform Awelye ceremonies to demonstrate respect for their country and the total well-being and health of their community.

Located at
Mbantua Alice Gallery