1947
Language Group:Anmatyerre
Country:Ahalpere, Utopia Region, North East of Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Medium:Acrylic on Canvas and Linen, Batik on Silk, Wood Carving
Subjects:Atham-areny Story, Anwekety (Conkerberry), Awelye (Women's Ceremony), Awelye (Women's Ceremony) for Anwekety (Conkerberry), Women's Story
Born to Nellie Petyarre in the arid desert area of Utopia Station in 1947, Angelina has become an Australian renowned aboriginal artist, with her work held in collections nationally and internationally. Initially Angelina began in the medium of batik when this begun in the late 1970's at Utopia. When acrylics swept the Utopia region about a decade later, Angelina made the swift transition and has continued using this medium like other Utopia artists.
Becoming well known for her fine dot representations of the Anwekety (conkerberry, also known as conkleberry and bush plum), Angelina quickly became a household name amongst Australian Indigenous galleries. Like most other women, Angelina can paint the women's ceremonial body paint designs (Awelye) which she does so with bold and colourful feel, though she paints much less of this. Angelina also enjoys painting another subject, the story of Atham-areny. Atham-areny are small creatures that live where there is no fire. On a trip home to Utopia in January 2003 with Mbantua's field team, Angelina showed us the site of the Atham-areny story and agreed to paint this story for us. Angelina returned with her first two Atham-areny paintings later that month, both of which are now held in the Mbantua Gallery Permanent Collection. Her Atham-areny paintings depict the women prepared to sing and dance with witch doctors to draw sickness out of those touched by the atham-areny creatures.
Angelina paints Awelye (Women's Ceremonial and Body Paint Designs) for Anwekety (Conkerberry). This fruit looks very similar to a plum and is often referred to in English by Angelina as a 'bush plum'. In the Dreamtime, winds blew from all directions, carrying the Anwekety seed over Angelina's ancestors' land. The first Anwekety of the Dreamings then grew, bore fruit and dropped more seeds. Many winds blew the seeds all over the Dreaming lands.
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.
