Rockholesby Maureen Ward Nakamarra

Maureen is the daughter of Lorna Ward Napanangka. Maureen now resides in both Kiwirrkura and Alice Springs. Lorna, Maureen’s mother, is a well established Western Desert artist, known for her tenacious personality. Her eccentric gridded maps provided a stark contrast to the early brightly coloured, fluid works of other female painters. Lorna’s willingness to persevere laid the foundations for this new wave, with the Art Gallery of NSW acquiring a large-scale work from a solo exhibition.

Maureen is also the grandchild of the late Timmy Payungka Tjapangati, among the first of the Pintupi people to be relocated to the new settlement at Papunya. Timmy Payungka was a founding member of the Papunya Tula Art Centre.

Maureen has been painting for a few years and has been highly influenced by her strong traditional painting lineage. Maureen is depicting women’s ceremonial sites of Marrapinti and Lake Mackay south west of Kiwirrkura. The ceremony which takes place here involves sharpening a piece of animal bone and using it to pierce the septum of the nose. Other information on these women’s ceremonies is privy only to the initiated.

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