MINNIE PWERLE

Minnie Pwerle (c.1910–2006) was a revered Alyawarre and Anmatyerre woman from the Utopia region. Born on her ancestral country, known as Atnwengerrp, she began painting in her late 80s, transitioning from ceremonial body-painting and batik to vivid acrylics on canvas from around 1999 .

Pwerle was a traditional body-painter in women’s awelye ceremonies, and she drew directly from these deep cultural responsibilities. Pwerle depicted Awelye Atnwengerrp (Women’s Dreaming), along with Dreamings of bush melon, bush melon seed, and other bush foods.

Though Pwerle began painting late in life, her work rapidly earned acclaim: her first solo show debuted in Melbourne (2000), and in 2003 her Awelye Atnwengerrp was featured prominently in the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, placing second-highest in price.

Today her artworks feature in major public collections and galleries across Australia.