Aboriginal Artist from Utopia

Elena Obermeier — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:12:43 GMT

Molly Pwerle

Molly is a younger blood sister of the celebrated artist Minnie Pwerle and the aunt of internationally known artist, Barbara Weir.

As young girls Molly and her sister Galya worked for the Chalmers family, who took up the lease of MacDonald Downs Station in 1923 and later, in the 1960s, leased Utopia Station. In 1975 Utopia Station was sold to the government and handed back to the traditional owners. It is here in the small community outstation ofIrrultja, 300kms north-east of Alice Springs, that Molly lives with her sistersGalya and Emily, both well known artists and another sister, Lottie.

Like Galya and Emily, Molly did not start to paint until 2004 at which time her niece, Barbara, organised a number of workshops where the sisters, including Minnie, individually and collaboratively painted their Dreaming stories.

Sharing the same Dreamings, each sister has developed her own painting style and interpretation. Molly’s paintings are characterised by a series of long horizontal or vertical lines which represent the markings painted on the upper part of the women’s bodies when they gather to perform their ceremonial dance. These lines represent dancing tracks in the sand made by the women as they dance.

Awelye Atnwengerrp
P5216
90 x 120 cm

The dance which Molly paints is owned only by the women of the Pwerle and Kemarre skin groups. The dance tells the story of how the Dreamtime women danced all day and night. Today, the dreamtime dance tracks can be seen as runnels in a flat rock at a sacred site in Utopia.

Molly’s paintings are eagerly sought after by collectors and are held in galleries in Australia and overseas.

More paintings

Paintings by Molly Pwerle

Elena Obermeier — Sat, 17 May 2008 05:21:05 GMT

P4022 Acrylic on Linen, 2007 90 x 120 cm	P3925 Acrylic on Linen, 2007 120 x 180 cm

P4017 Acrylic on Linen, 2007 90 x 120 cm	P1536 Acrylic on Linen, 2005 150 x 160 cm

P3641 Acrylic on Linen, 2006 120 x 120 cm	P3739 Acrylic on Linen, 2006 92 x 123 cm

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Aboriginal Artist from Utopia

Paintings by Molly Pwerle

More paintings