Rockholesby Maureen Ward Nakamarra

This subtly coloured artwork depicts the rockholes, underground rivers and sacred places found in the artists homeland. Maureen depicts the important sites where water can be found which is an essential knowledge for living and surviving in the desert. Rockholes and places where water gathers is also an important place where women's ceremonies are carried out. The lines throughout the artwork depict the underground water ways which connect throughout the desert.

Artist:Maureen Ward Nakamarra
Title:Rockholes
ID:MWN81
Medium:Acrylic on Canvas
Size:30 x 30 cm
Region:Kiwirrkurra, Western Desert

Artist

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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Why Sabine likes this

I like the thick texture of the paint in this artwork, it brings the imagery to life. The subtle colours bring the underground rivers and pools of underground water to life.