Artist: Cindy Wallace Nungurrayi
Born 1973
Language Anmatyerre
Country Mulga Bore, Utopia, Central Australia
Medium Acrylic Painting on canvas
Subject(s) Women’s Ceremonies, Body Paint and Bush Foods
Cindy was born on Santa Teresa mission and now lives at Mulga Bore, a remote desert community on the Utopia homelands near Alice Springs. She was brought up with the traditional education and values of her country. Cindy is the sister of Colleen Wallace Nungurrayi, and the grand-daughter of Kenny Tilmouth Panangka.
Cindy has been painting for 12 years. Her works tell the stories of Ceremonies relating to initiation, seasonal changes and general women’s business form a very important part of aboriginal society. The body-paint designs are learnt whilst applying paint to the chest, breasts and shoulders of women about to partake in ceremony. These images relate to “Awelye” (dreaming) and are significant to the ceremonies and rituals that are the basis of aboriginal culture.