Dreamtime Sisters by Colleen Wallace Nungarrayi 69x49cm 11109CW

Colleen Wallace Nungarrayi's "Dreamtime Sisters Series" is a mesmerising collection inspired by the Dreamtime Sisters ('Irrernte-arenye') of the Eastern Arrernte people. These benevolent spirits from creation time perform the Awelye (women’s ceremony), which includes song, dance, and body painting, to protect the land and sacred sites. The artwork celebrates her grandfather's country near Gemtree, north of Alice Springs, in Eastern Arrente Land.

Wallace's paintings feature intricate designs, vibrant colours, and traditional dotting techniques combined with fine linework.

In this particular painting, the strong shapes at the bottom and top of the painting represent women’s sacred sites. Ceremonial poles, central to the traditional ground designs during ceremonies, symbolize the land. The dots meandering up from the sacred sites, forming part of the female figures, represent ancestral journeys.

Born in 1974 in Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa) and Mparntwe (Alice Springs), Colleen began painting in the 1990s, encouraged by her stepmother, Kathleen Wallace. She comes from a family of esteemed painters, including her mother, Therese Wallace, and aunt, Gabriella Wallace. Married to Colin Bird, son of the famous Utopia artist Ada Bird Petyarre, Colleen’s work honors her cultural heritage and celebrates the Dreamtime Sisters' role in caring for the land.