Wild Bush Onionby Marlene Doolan Kemarre

Marlene Doolan Kemarre was born in 1970 and comes from Ltyentye Apurte also known as Santa Teresa Community approximately one hour from Alice Springs in Central Australia. Marlene still lives at Santa Teresa but visits Alice Springs on a regular basis.

Marlene first began her artistic journey in 1987 when she began working with the Keringke Arts Centre based in Santa Teresa. She first started depicting designs on clothing and shoes. It wasn’t until 1999 when she began to use acrylics on canvas. Like many women from Santa Teresa, Marlene, depicts her traditional Dreamings using a style which has been called Keringke, it is characterised by bright colours, and fine intricate details. Marlene’s Dreamings consist of the Bush Onion and other bush tucker Dreamings. The Wild Bush Onion Dreaming is an important Dreaming for those who have custodianship over it. There are many important practices which need to be carried out in accordance with traditional Eastern Arrente law particularly how to collect the onion.

Marlene is a talented artist and her paintings are precise in their detail and include beautifully thought out colour schemes. The artworks that Central Art has featured on our website have sold almost immediately. In her “Wild Bush Onion Dreaming” painting Marlene has shared that the Yalke is a significant plant to her and is her totem. In the winter time when the top of the plant has died off, the onions are ready to be gathered by the women. The ground is pounded with a rock made into an arc shape and then systematically dug by hand from one side to the other. This ritual is extremely important in Eastern Arrente law. Once the onions have been collected they are cooked in hot sand near the camp fire. The women will often pay homage to the spirit of the Bush Onion in traditional women’s ceremonies to ensure its perpetual germination.

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