Women's Ceremony | Original by Annie Pitjara Hunter

Artist:                                Annie Pitjara Hunter

Language group:            Alyawarre

Country:                            Atnwengerrpe, Utopia region, central Australia 

Stock number:                  EDA-AH2013/21

Size:                                    91cm x 151cm

Medium:                             Polymer acrylic on Belgian linen

Stretched:                          Yes - Ready to hang.

Certificate of authenticity: Yes

Story:                                   Annie Pitjara Hunter’s celebrates the flowering of the native honey grevillea and red mallee in this and her recent series of paintings. It is her responsibility to tell the story of the nourishment the plants provide to the community. She depicts the bush honey grevillea in intricate detail and as it relates to ceremony. The concentric circles represent women in ceremony celebrating and paying homage to these plants. She and her sisters pass on the story of the plants to the younger generation of women here on her country of Anwengerrpe near Utopia. Her paintings observe these plants and landscape from an aerial perspective. 

The grevillea is an important part of their traditional diet and is still enjoyed and celebrated today in the summer ceremonies. The plant is especially prolific on her country after the winter rains. The flowers contain thick, honey-like nectar which can be sucked directly from the flowers. The Alyawarre people also soak the flowers in water to make a sweet cordial-like drink.

Collections:

• The National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
• The Holmes a Court Collection, Perth

Profile:

Born on MacDonald Downs central Australia in 1964 to Johnny Ngwarrai Hunter and Molly Pula Hunter, Annie now lives on Atnwengerrp in the Utopia region central Australia with her extensive family.

Annie Pitjara Hunter’s paintings have been collected since the beginning of the Utopia art movement when batik was first introduced to the women in 1977. Her batik was selected for Utopia- A Picture Story an exhibition from the Holmes a Court Collection which toured extensively nationally and overseas. Her paintings were also featured in the exhibition “Utopia Women’s Paintings, the First Works on Canvas, A Summer Project” (1988-89). Over the last 40 years she has participated in many group exhibitions throughout Australia, Europe and the UK.

Like her sisters Susan and Jessie, Annie’s paintings interpret Awelye (women’s laws/business) and all it symbolises during the spiritual women’s ceremonies. She depicts the bush honey grevillea, bush tucker, body designs and the gathering of women to chant and sing the younger ones into womanhood.