• Artist:     Janet Golder Kngwarreye

• Size:        200 by 95 cm

• Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas

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About Janet

Janet Golder Kngwarreye is the daughter of Margaret Golder and Sammy Pitjara. She is an Anmatyerre artist hailing from Mulga Bore within the Utopia Homelands. Ms. Kngwarreye resides at Boundary Bore with her husband, Ronnie Bird, and their three children. She has been actively involved in the Batik movement at Utopia in the Northern Territory and predominantly focuses on painting narratives related to her ancestral land in this locality.

The artistic lineage within her family is profound. Her grandmothers, the highly regarded Utopia artists Polly Ngale and Angelina Pwerle, alongside her uncle, Greeny Purvis, contribute to this heritage. Additionally, her sister, Belinda Golder Kngwarreye, is recognised as an accomplished artist in her own right.

Janet embarked on her painting journey in 1987, acquiring her artistic skills from family members and embracing themes that resonate within the female artists of her family group. These themes encompass the Awelye Women’s Ceremonial Body Paint, the Bush Yam Leaf designs, Bush Medicine, and Mountain Devil Dreaming. In recent years, she has further developed narratives centred on women’s cultural practices on Country, intertwining imagery of bush foods with elements of the Utopia landscape.

Janet Golder Kngwarreye possesses considerable expertise in color application. Her artworks frequently merge black and white design elements with vibrant colours, or alternatively, display a full spectrum of color, illustrating features of her homeland and the bush medicine that flourishes there. She has showcased her work in galleries across Australia and on an international scale.

About the Artwork

Janet has created a Women’s Dreaming narrative, intricately weaving her cultural heritage with the bush tucker and waterholes that are crucial for the women during their ceremonial excursions, which may last up to one week. The women perform significant ceremonies at these locations, including the Desert Yam (or Bush Plum) story from her ancestral lands.

The yam grows subterraneanly, with its viny shrub extending above ground to a height of approximately one meter. It is typically located on Spinifex sand plains and yields large blossoms following summer rainfall. The yam is a tuber, or an enlarged root, of the shrub and possesses a flavour reminiscent of the common sweet potato. It may be consumed either raw or cooked, and it remains a fundamental food source for the desert Aboriginal peoples, who can harvest it year-round. Additionally, it is renowned for its medicinal qualities. This plant's medicinal properties are utilised to heal cuts, wounds, insect bites, rashes, and also serve as an insect repellent.

During ceremonies, the women pay tribute to the spirit of this unique plant, expressing the hope that it will regenerate.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

2020 one of Janet's works has been chosen to decorate the Coles supermarket in Alice Springs

HISTORY
Selected Group Exhibitions

2021 Top 20 2021, Art Mob, Hobart
2020 Sounds of Summer, Japingka Gallery, Perth
2020 60 by 60 - Small Paintings, Japingka Gallery, Perth
2020 Central Focus, Art Mob, Hobart
2020 Cup of Joy - New Works from Rising Stars, Japingka Gallery, Perth
2019 Landscape Colours, Japingka Gallery, Perth
2018 Painting on Country - Utopia Artists, Japingka Gallery, Perth