Awelyeby Abie Loy Kemarre

This artwork represents a Body painting design. Aboriginal women from Utopia call the body paint design 'Awelye ', which refers specifically to the designs applied to a women's body as part of a ceremony. The Awelye is performed by Aboriginal women to recall their ancestors, to show respect for their country and to demonstrate their responsibility for the well-being of their community. Since it reflects women's role as the nurturer the Awelye makes connections with the fertility of the land and a celebration of the aboriginal food it provides. The Awelye ceremony begins with the women painting each others' bodies in designs relating to a particular women's Dreaming and in accordance with their skin name and tribal hierarchy. The designs are painted on the chest and shoulders using powders ground from ochre, charcoal and ash. It is applied with a flat stick with padding or with fingers in raw linear and curved lines. The act of decorating the body transforms the individual and changes their identity. During the painting which can take up to three hours, the women chant their Dreaming. The final part of the ceremony is when the women dance and chant.

Artist:Abie Loy Kemarre
Title:Awelye
ID:0507287
Medium:Acrylic on Belgian Linen
Size:127 x 150 cm
Region:Utopia, Central Australia

Artist

I (Sabine Haider, Director Central Art) first met Abie Loy some 10 years ago and immediately fell in love with her artworks, a shy lady with a wonderful sense of humour and humble pride in her paintings. Abie was pivotal in helping me grow into the large business I have today, being one of the first artists who brought their work to me to purchase. This allowed other artists from Utopia to hear about me and then in turn visit me.

The first painting I purchased was a Bush Leaf Dreaming painting; it had a magnificent bright blue colour with red and white spread throughout the artwork. That painting has since sold however can still be viewed under her name in the artists tab. I feel a strong connection with Abie and am an avid collector of her works, having collected a range of all of her different styles throughout the years. I truly believe that Abie’s artworks are investment pieces as her ability to evolve her artworks and create her own unique style and interpretation of her Dreaming stories is unique. She has an amazing talent and eye for detail.

Abie comes from a large family of influential artists, namely her maternal grandmother Kathleen Petyarre. Her other “grandmothers” include Gloria Petyarre, and Ada Bird Petyarre. So she comes from a family group of strong Aboriginal women and a wonderful artistic background. Born in 1972 Abie grew up in Utopia, an Aboriginal community 270km from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Abie shares that she knew from the age of 9 that she wanted to be an artist and was encouraged by Kathleen who took her under her wing.

In the 1980’s Utopian artists were experimenting with Batik (painting on silk) and as a young girl Abie would often accompany Kathleen during her painting sessions. Kathleen would often take Abie interstate to Adelaide during her painting trips. Over many years Kathleen taught, guided and supported Abie to depict the Bush Hen Dreaming which was passed down to her from her grandfather, by customary law this was the only Dreaming that Abie was allowed to depict. In 1994 Abie began to paint independently.

Abie is known for her contemporary interpretations to traditional Dreaming stories and through the years has gained deep cultural knowledge and is now permitted by tribal law to depict the Bush Leaf Dreaming and Awelye.

In 2001/2002 Abie introduced a bolder, more abstract interpretation of her traditional Dreaming stories and begun depicting the countryside that the Bush Hen travels often titled Sand hills (My Country) and Spinifex Country, these artworks are stylistically interpreted as abstract, expressionist and post-modern.

Abie's unique style of painting has brought her critical acclaim that postures her at the leading edge of the Aboriginal & Australian contemporary art movement. Abie has had exhibitions in Australia, Indonesia, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and the US.

In February 2008, Central Art launched an online exhibition of Abie's body of work, as well as being a prominent feature in the Resident NT magazine. In 2010 Central Art showcased an exhibition "Tradition to Modernity" in which several of her best works were selected.

Abie continues to visit Central Art when she is painting and I thoroughly enjoy catching up with her and learning about her new designs and how she has incorporated her cultural knowledge into contemporary Aboriginal art. I strongly recommend anyone considering purchasing Aboriginal art as an investment piece to consider Abie Loy.

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