Minnie Pwerle

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M. passed away on 18 March 2006. In accordance with Aboriginal Australian practices concerning respect for the dead, and out of respect for her family, she is referred to only as M. Pwerle for the time being in this article. This practice usually lasts at least 12 months.

M. Pwerle (pronounced Pearl) (born c. 1910, at Utopia Station, was an Australian Aboriginal artist. Her country was Atnwengerrp, (pronounced a-NOONG-a-pa), and her languages Anmatyerre and Alyawarr, languages from an area of Central Australia 250 km northeast of Alice Springs.

M. is often compared to Emily Kame Kngwarreye. They both became prolific and highly praised artists who came to Western-style art late in life. M. began painting in 1999 when she was in her late eighties and continued to paint up until her death in March 2006.

M. painted of the Awelye Atnwengerrp Dreamings (Women's Dreaming}. Her distinctive style used linear brush-work based on the body painting used for important women’s ceremonies in her native country of Atnwengerrp. She painted with a rich array of colours and her work contained a compelling visual and spiritual power.

All the stories she painted conveyed her deep connection with the land, and knowledge of the foods that it provides. Besides Women's Dreaming, M. painted other Dreamings involving the bush melon, and bush melon seed, types of bush tucker traditionally used by her people, once very common, and becoming increasingly rarer.

M. and the other women used to collect this fruit (that was green in colour and then ripened to a brown colour) and scrape out the small black seeds. They would then eat the fruit straight away or cut it into pieces and skewer them onto a piece of wood and dry them to be eaten in the coming months when bush tucker was scarce.

M.’s work shared many features with that of other contemporary artists of the central and western deserts: the portrayal of stories or features for which she had responsibility within her family or clan; the strong influence of traditional designs in the art; vigorous use of colour; and the enthusiastic embrace of new techniques, such as acrylic paint on canvas.

One of M.’s pieces was entered into the 18th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2001.

M. (like Emily Kngwarreye) experienced considerable pressure to produce works, mentioned in McCulloch's fourth edition of the Encyclopedia of Australian Art. Her work was also mentioned in the context of the Australian Senate inquiry into Indigenous Australian art as being possibly the target of unethical business practices. This reflected broader issues in the industry surrounding artists like M., who were often older, had limited education or English language ability, and faced serious poverty both themselves and amongst their broader family. Questions were periodically raised about whether she was pressured to paint by others, whether she was paid fairly for her work, and whether some of the vast number of paintings traded under her name were created by her at all. The number of retail outlets still selling M.'s works in large quantities, after her short career late in life, continues to raise questions about ethics and practices in the sector.

[edit] Exhibitions

  • 2000 M. Pwerle Sydney, Melbourne & Alice Springs
  • 2000 DACOU in association with AMP, AMP building, Sydney.
  • 2000 Gallery Savah, Sydney
  • 2001 Out of Utopia, Canberra
  • 2001 San Anselmo, Marin County California, USA.
  • 2001 Small Stories Perth WA.
  • 2001 Desert Colour - My Country, Darwin, Northern Territory
  • Painting Country, Tandanya, Adelaide
  • 2001 Santa Fe, New Mexico USA.
  • 2001 Women Artists of the Australian Desert, Auckland, New Zealand
  • 2002 Solo Exhibition, Gallery Savah, Sydney
  • 2002 United - Mother and Daughter", Alison Kelly Gallery, Victoria
  • 2002 New York City, UTSA
  • 2003 M. Pwerle: Original & Authentic Aboriginal Art, Melbourne
  • 2003 Alice Springs.
  • 2003 M. Pwerle & Mitjili Napurrula Japingka Gallery, Fremantle
  • 2003 Art and Soul Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
  • 2003 Art from the Dreamtime, Portland Art Museum
  • 2004 Diva's of the Desert, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs
  • 2005 Utopia Revealed Japingka Gallery, Fremantle
  • 2006 Solo Exhibition, Gallery Savah, Brisbane

[edit] Collections

[edit] External links