Amwekety (Bush Plum), 2001 by Gracie Morton 152x122cm Cat 6659GM

"Amwekety (Bush Plum), 2001" by Gracie Morton is a beautifully subtle painting characterised by its delicate and intricate dot work. This artwork depicts Gracie's Bush Plum (Amwekety) Dreaming, linked to her traditional country of Mosquito Bore, 263 km north of Alice Springs. Using an almost monochromatic style, Gracie's precise, individually applied dots create an aerial perspective of the landscape during the winter months.

The arc shapes in the painting symbolise the ritual activities of women singing, dancing, and painting ceremonial body designs (awelye) on their limbs. These ceremonies assure continued proliferation of the species and are essential for the passing down of sacred knowledge.

The Bush Plum Dreaming site is one of the major Dreamings of the Utopia region, a fruit that thrives in the area. This native currant grows on a tall, straight, thin, broad-leaved tree that starts green and turns black as it ripens, forming small black clusters.

Gracie Morton Pwerle, from the Alyawarre language group in Utopia, southeast of Alice Springs, upholds her cultural heritage through her art. Her surname appears in various spellings (Pwerle, Pwerl, Purle, or Ngale) due to different linguistic interpretations.