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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

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