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Wintjiya Napaltjarri’s Women’s Ceremonies at<br />
Watanuma, an acrylic painting on linen from 2007,<br />
shows her ability to make a strong statement through<br />
simplicity and starkness. Using a deep red paint on<br />
the white backdrop, her delivery is thick and solid.<br />
The depth and intention she gives to each of her<br />
individual shapes or designs add intention to the<br />
inherent conviction. Each design in her work is like a<br />
puzzle piece that unites with the others to ultimately<br />
form a meaningful pattern. Her heedful compositions<br />
come to life, jumping from their canvas homes.<br />
Nyapanyapa Yunupingu’s Light Painting, 2012,<br />
Light (or animated white paint pen on 110 acetates)<br />
is another work of intriguing starkness. Where<br />
Napaltjarri’s aforementioned piece was bold in its<br />
starkness, Yunupingu’s piece is equally, if not more<br />
haunting. That is partially due to its subtler nature.<br />
Filled with loosely precise straight lines that subtly<br />
mingle with curvier and motion-filled shapes, there’s<br />
a sense of chaos and mystery that is both undeniable<br />
and unforgettable.<br />
As we live, we create stories, we observe stories,<br />
and we tell stories. This deeply poetic exhibition is<br />
an immersion in cultural storytelling through artwork<br />
by a fascinating group of women who have embraced<br />
cultural and familial traditions. Each one of the<br />
artists exhibited here has taken her respective<br />
roots by the reins. Each one is an innovator who has<br />
expanded on the traditions of her life. They show<br />
the value in old stories, they create new stories and<br />
important messages, and they explore and develop<br />
new processes with the mediums they utilize.<br />
Marking the Infinite: Contemporary Women Artists From<br />
Aboriginal Australia<br />
Through January 21, 2018<br />
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art<br />
smoca.org<br />
Regina Pilawuk Wilson, Sun Mat, 2015. Synthetic polymer paint<br />
on canvas, 98 7/16 x 137 7/8 inches. © Regina Pilawuk Wilson,<br />
Courtesy Durrmu Arts, Peppimenarti, Collection of Debra and Dennis<br />
Scholl<br />
Wintjiya Napaltjarri, Women’s Ceremonies at Watanuma, 2007. Synthetic<br />
polymer paint on canvas, 57 7/8 x 71 7/8 inches. © Wintjiya<br />
Napaltjarri, licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency Ltd, Courtesy<br />
Papunya Tula Artists, Collection of Debra and Dennis Scholl<br />
Carlene West, Tjitjiti, 2015. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 78<br />
3/4 x 53 47/50. © Carlene West, Courtesy of Spinifex Arts Project,<br />
Collection of Debra and Dennis Scholl<br />
Nyapanyapa Yunupingu, Light Painting, 2010-11. Digital file, silent, ed.<br />
AP. © Nyapanyapa Yunupingu, Courtesy of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka<br />
Center, Yirrkala, Collection of Debra and Dennis Scholl<br />
All images: Photo Credit: Sid Hoeltzell<br />
JAVA 19<br />
MAGAZINE