PO Box 406, South Fremantle WA 6162 Tel: 61 8 9336 7787 Fax: 61 8 9336 6901 Mob: 0418 900 954 Email: [email protected] Web: www.artitja.com.au Newsletter Vol. 9 Aug/Sep 2006 Minnie’s strength: pulling In this newsletter: through it, surviving until the grand old age of 87 in • Welcome a harsh environment • Minnie Pwerle – sadly missed which Minnie loved – and • Musee du Branly in Paris what a way to go. officially opens Hunting goanna! We’re • ATSI Telstra Art Awards in told she was so proud of Darwin her catch the day she • New works from the desert passed away and she died • The Ochres happy and in her country • Desert Dreamings 2006 – where she died at home in October 13-29th her community. Minnie was also a great Welcome to this latest edition of our artist. Her energy poured into her newsletter –- here we are well into the paintings and she had a natural instinct second half of the year with for colour and form. Her paintings came developments in the first having led to a together so quickly, I remember watching definitive change in the world of her begin a painting one day (not a huge Aboriginal art both in the national and one) when I turned to finish a the international scene. conversation I was having with another artist then when I turned Minnie Pwerle – sadly missed back Minnie was onto her second! The Certainly it was a very sad time in March paintings were gorgeous. this year when we received the news that Minnie Pwerle had suffered a major Art made Minnie very stroke and passed away. happy and at a time in her life when she ought Minnie was an incredible woman full of to have been kicking life and energy – a ‘jillaroo’ as a young girl back she was a main she worked on the station alongside the provider for her extended men rounding up cattle, and suffered the family, something she taking away of her eldest child, Barbara was immensely proud of. Weir, who was only eight years of age at the time. Her crime: to have had a child We are going to miss with the white station owner. She was having new works of Minnie’s very much jailed for the liaison, as was the Station although the end of her life doesn’t spell Manager, Barbara’s father, who died the end of her legacy – the many several years later. beautiful paintings that Minnie Pwerle has left behind. Musee Quai Branly officially Wandjuk Marika 3D Memorial Award opens in Paris, France. $4000 Baluka Maymuru for painted poles entitled Dhakandjali In our December 2005 newsletter I reported on our visit to Paris last year The crowd at and to the site of the Musee du quai the NT Branley in Paris. Museum and Art Gallery in The huge project was the brainchild and waiting for the pet project of French Prime Minister 23rd Telstra Jacques Chirac, who with the opening of NATSI Awards the Musee in June, has realised his to begin . dream of having the world’s biggest museum dedicated solely to the indigenous art and cultures of the world. Ngoia Pollard Napaltjarri Australian Aboriginal artists are well 90x90cm represented with works by artists Tommy (Artitja stock) Watson, Lena Nyabi, Ningura Napurrula, Judy Watson, John Mawurndjul, Gulumbu Yunipingu, Paddy Bedford and Michael Riley. This project will no doubt raise the profile of Australian Indigenous art and artists in Europe. Certainly a place to visit when in Paris! Desert Dreamings 2006: Stars 23 rd Telstra National Aboriginal of the Desert 13-29 October & Torres Strait Islander Awards It’s been a long time coming but I’m sure – Darwin August 2006 it will be worth the wait! We have just returned from the Telstra Artitja Fine Art’s next show in the Desert Indigenous Art Awards which are held Dreamings series opens on Friday 13 th annually in Darwin during the Festival October – ‘lucky Friday’ – and will on the second Friday of the month of continue for a week longer than normal August. winding up on the 29 th . The entries this year were excellent and Arthur and I the winners were as follow: are very excited about Major Award $40000: presenting Ngoia Napaltjarri Pollard for her work Desert entitled Swamps west of Nyirripi Anna with Gloria Dreamings General Painting Award $4000 Petyarre in Alice Springs 2006: Stars of Linda Syddick Napaltjarri for her work the Desert this entitled The Witch Doctor and the year, particularly as Gloria Petyarre is Windmill heading over for the show and will be our Bark Painting Award $4000 featured artist, along with Julie Nangala Samuel Manunjdja for his work entitled Robinson who we have represented Gungura (Wind Dreaming with Goanna exclusively in Perth for the last few years. Track) We will also be showing works from the Work on Paper Award $4000 Morton family most of whom along with Judy Watson for her Etching entitled a Gloria were involved in the Utopia Batik preponderance of aboriginal blood project in the eighties (ref: Utopia: A Picture Story) . All Stars from the Desert! All the works are here, they are stunning and we hope you will be able to attend Clarice Morgan opening night and meet Gloria on the 145x55cm 13 th October. New Works Available We have just returned from the central desert with many wonderful works, just a few of which are shown here. If you would like to view, or make enquiries about these or others we may have, please call 9336 7787 or 0418 900 954 Works from Mt Liebig/Kintore artists: (right) Dulcie Kelly Nangala 150x31cm Christine Peterson Nangala 107x122xm Wentja 2 Napaltjarri 120x90cm Maisie Campbell Napaltjarri 150x78cm Tjukiya Napaltjarri 70x46cm Works from Utopia The minimilast Kathleen Ngale works 140x45cm Above: Betty Mpetyane Club 102x102cm OCHRES We still have some lovely ochre paintings from the Kimberley on hand by Tommy Carroll, June Peters, Lily Karadada and Shirley Purdie – if you would like images I am happy to forward them to you. An end note… That’s it for this edition of our newsletter – we hope you have enjoyed it and feel inspired by these beautiful works from the desert and the amazing people who create them. Every trip out to the desert never fails to inspire us both in terms of our continuing passion for the art and the amazement at what a beautiful country we live in and how much it and its first people have to offer. Barbara Weir 120x90cm (top) 120x120 (below) As Artitja now has a steady stream of interest and appointments coming through, we will still send out invitations to view, but really – the invitation is there every day of the year. So please do call and make an appointment or look up our website www.artitja.com.au . Anna Kanaris and Arthur Clarke Artitja Fine Art .