SP10327
Atwakeye (Bush Orange) SP10327-Valorine Kngwarreye Morgan
Valorine Kngwarreye Morgan
$150.00
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1982
Language Group:Alyawarre
Country:Ingkwelaye (Kurrajong Bore), Utopia Region, North East of Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Medium:Acrylic on Canvas
Subjects:My Grandmother's Story, Atwakeye (Bush Orange), Ahakeye (Bush Plum) Dreaming
Valorine is the granddaughter of the late Minnie Pwerle, a celebrated contemporary Indigenous artist who passed away in 2006. She fondly remembers the time she spent caring for her grandmother, recounting, "When nanna was alive, I looked after her - cooking, washing, cleaning, etc. I prepared paints and changed water when she did painting. I took nanna out hunting and camping. We caught witchetty grub, kangaroo, goanna, bush banana, sugarbagÂ…lots of tucker!" These cherished memories of her early years in Utopia deeply influence her art.
Valorine began painting around the age of sixteen, learning by observing Minnie and other family members. After the birth of her first child, she took a hiatus from painting but later returned to her artistic practice. Her father, Keith Morgan Petyarre, is also an artist from Utopia, while her mother passed away when Valorine was young.
Today, Valorine's work predominantly focuses on 'My Grandmother's Country', reflecting the artistic style of Minnie Pwerle and her aunty, Betty Mpetyane. She often paints Awelye (women's ceremony) and Anemangkerr (bush melon) from Atnwengerrp, continuing the rich cultural tradition of her family through her artwork.
Valorine paints the Awelye (Women's Ceremonial Body Paint Designs) for the ancestral dreamtime stories of the Anemangkerr (Bush Melon or Tomato) which belong to her grandmother's country, Atnwengerrp, in the Utopia Region. Valorine inherited the permission to paint this design through her aunty, daughter of renowned Aboriginal artist Minnie Pwerle (deceased).
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.
SP10327