Arelh Anengkerr (Women’s Ceremony)

Elsie paints traditional women’s ceremony stories handed down by her mother.  These are important cultural practices that involve detailed body painting, dancing and singing.  The ceremony is intergenerational passing down stories through generations and performed at a sacred site.  Each ceremony is performed and owned by two skins.  Paintings depicting Women’s ceremony use the rich desert colours of central Australia.   That’s all the women there with their nulla nullas. They are getting ready to dance. They are sitting together painting up, taking it in turns, one mob painting another mob and singing, getting ready to dance. The little girls get painted too. That’s our Law. Some ladies are sitting down with music sticks and singing, and other ladies are dancing towards the singers, dancing in with their nulla nullas. It’s a flat open place near Yuelamu. It’s women’s ceremony.

Medium: Ochre on Linen

Artwork Size: 46 x 61cm

Catalogue No: 289-26