1977
Language Group:Alyawarre
Country:Artekerre (Three Bores), Utopia Region, North East of Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Medium:Acrylic on Canvas
Subjects:Awelye (Women's Ceremony), Women's Dreaming, Ahakeye (Bush Plum) Dreaming, Kangaroo
Kathy Price Ngale was born in 1977 and is an Alyawarre artist connected to Three Bore in the Utopia region. She began painting in 2018, learning from her late father who passed down important stories and cultural knowledge.
Kathy's paintings are inspired by the Dreaming stories inherited from her family, including Ahakeye (Bush Plum), Kangaroo Dreaming, Awelye (Women's Ceremony) and Women's Dreaming.
Working in acrylic on canvas, Kathy continues the artistic traditions of her community while expressing her own connection to Country. She lives at Three Bore with her husband and three daughters, and is part of a strong family of artists including her cousin Tanya Price.
Kathy paints Awelye (Women's Ceremonial and Body Paint Designs) for the ancestral dreamtime stories which belong to her country, Artekerre (Three Bores).
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.
