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Kathleen Petyarre

Awelye

Acrylic on Linen
120 x 180 cm

Material: Acrylic on Linen

Year: 2004

Cat.No: 9858

AUD 34,000.00
AUD 34,000.00
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More Paintings by Kathleen Petyarre

Kathleen Petyarre

/ Awelye

/ Cat.No: 9858


The title Awelye is the Aboriginal word used for women's ceremonial body paint. The designs have been applied to the upper body and thighs of people prior to ceremonies, a practice going back more than 40,000 years. Firstly the dancers covered their bodies with animal fat and after applied ochre, charcoal and ash for the design. Kathleen and her sisters painted their body for ceremonies all their life. Later, in the midst of their painting career in the mid nineties I watched Kathleen together with sisters Ada and Gloria, all of them having painted their bodies, performing dances at the Aboriginal Art Centre in Adelaide.