Women's Body Ceremonyby Narpula Scobie Napurrula

This Aboriginal artwork represents women's body paint design, which carries a deep spiritual significance for Australian Aboriginal people of Central Australia. Body painting is carried out within strict conventions that are primarily related to spiritual matters, although the creative nature of these activities is also acknowledged.

Awelye (Body Paint) - Video of Aboriginal Women applying body paint design

Artist:Narpula Scobie Napurrula
Title:Women's Body Ceremony
ID:0701541
Medium:Acrylic on Belgian Linen
Size:90 x 60 cm
Region:Amunturngu, Central Australia

Artist

Narpula Scobie Napurrula was born in c.1933 near Haasts Bluff and grew up in Papunya in central Australia. where she stayed until the beginning of the 80s. Both her older brother Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula and her husband Johnny Scobie Tjapanangka were also artists (both deceased).

Narpula assisted her husband for many years in painting the background details to his artwork, Narpula began painting herself independently in the 80s. In those early years she was the only female artist working in the Papunya area. Napurrula began painting for Papunya Tula Artists in the early 1980s, and was one of the first and few women at the time to do so.

Narpula depicts in her artwork themes of bush food stories, including the ‘Two Women who came from Mitukutjarrayi’ in the south. She reside at Mount Leibig.

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