Bio
Anna Price Petyarre (Australian Aboriginal 1965-) Bio
Anna born 1965 is an Anmatyerre woman from the Boundary Bore area of the former Utopia Station North East of Alice Springs Anna is also known as Anna Pitjara, Anna Price and Anna Price Pitjara She is the daughter of the late Glory Ngarla (Ngale, or Ngal) and niece to the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Anna was the second wife of Colin Price Kemarre (deceased 2004) Anna’s mother was known for her batik work and a well-respected artist at Utopia (Anna also worked with the Utopia Batik group) her mother was her first role model Anna Petyarre is related to famous senior artists Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Kudditji Kngwarreye through her grandfather, who was a brother of Emily and Kudditji’s father Anna is a grandmother with five grandchildren Anna is a significant Utopia artist whose fine skills and innovative painting techniques define her impressive portfolio of paintings and subjects Anna has painted since she was child and she predominantly paints the dreamtime story of the Atnwelarre (Pencil Yam) and also Awelye (women’s ceremony and body paint designs) Though she only paints the Atnwelarre Dreamtime, Anna owns other Dreaming stories belonging to Alhalkere country Anna’s work has been exhibited extensively and her work is much sought after Anna divides her time between her home in Atneltyeye (Boundary Bore, Utopia Region) and Alice Springs Anna initially primarily painted Yam Seed Dreaming in a colourful and intricate expression of the songs and stories associated with her plant totem, the Bush Yam, and its seeds The Bush Yam has been a staple food and water source for the Anmatyerre people for countless years and the seeds that form and scatter from the plant are ground up to make flour for damper During ceremony, it is Anna’s duty to pay homage to the yam seeds and give thanks for their abundance and regenerative qualities By painting to the tempo of a ceremonial song, Anna expresses her connection to her plant totem in a permanent medium A versatile and creative artist Anna has changed her painting style radically several times over the last decade and now concentrates on extremely finely dotted works which represent her country and its ceremonial sites at Boundary Bore Recent works have depicted ancestral country, with fine rows of dots marking out the locations of sandhill and bush country, river flood plains and sometimes waterholes and ceremonial sites Anna illustrates topographically, multi layered components, which are spiritually connected to her homeland of Atneltyeye Anna is famous for her artistic attention to detail in the complex and interwoven designs that she so carefully structures, aimed at expressing her traditional Anmatyerre culture Anna is a traditional woman, participating in Women’s Business and further learning the dreaming stories of her family and her culture. She is well educated and is a wonderful ambassador for her people and for the Art of Utopia
“Anna’s artwork has been exhibited extensively throughout Australia and also Internationally she has painted for important galleries in many capital cities and has been collected widely by private and corporate collectors throughout Australia, USA, Singapore, United Kingdom, India, Poland, Denmark, Germany and France”
Selected Collections
Art Bank, Sydney, NSW
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, NSW
Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT
Holmes a Court Gallery and Gallery Collection, Perth, WA
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
The Kerry Stokes Collection
Anthropology Art Museum, Perth, WA
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW
Mbantua Gallery Permanent Collection, Alice Springs, NT
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC
Awards
1998 Finalist 15th annual National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2004 Anna Price, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
2017 Intricate Expressions, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney NSW
2015 Sixteen Artists – 16 x 2, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle WA
2014 Desert Song, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle WA
2012 Desert Gold, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle WA
2012 Little Gems, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle WA
2011 In Black and White, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle WA
2010 Summer Collection, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle WA
2008 Emily and Her Legacy, Hillside Gallery, Tokyo with Coo-ee Art Sydney in conjunction with the opening of the landmark retrospective exhibition Utopia – the Genius of Emily Kngwarreye at the National Art Centre, Tokyo, Japan
2008 Utopia Collection2, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle WA
2008 Three Petyarres, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2005 Small Wonders, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
2005 Yam Dreaming – Atnwelarre, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
2004 Mbantua Gallery USA exhibition; Portland, Nashville, Knoxville, Hartford, Greenwich, New York and Philadelphia
2003 Yam Dreaming – Atnwelarre, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, N.T
2003 Art from the Dreamtime, Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, USA
2003 Mbantua Gallery USA exhibitions: New City Merchants, Knoxville, TN; Art and Soul Gallery, Nashville, TN; The Cove Gallery Portland, Mary’s Woods, Portland, Contemporary Aboriginal Art Event, Umpqua Bank, Portland, Oregon USA
2003 Heart and Soul, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
2002 Galerie Le Temps du Reve, France.
2002 Mbantua Gallery USA exhibitions: New City Merchants, Knoxville, TN; Art and Soul Gallery, Nashville, TN; The Cove Gallery Portland, OR; Urban Wine Works, Portland, OR; Mary’s Woods, Portland, OR.
2002 Generations, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA
2002 Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2002 Glen Eira City Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2001 Painting Country, Tandanya, SA
2001 Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA
2001 Raintree Aboriginal Art Gallery, Darwin, NT
2000 Women�s Business, Australian Exhibition Centre, Chicago, USA
2000 Artists of Utopia, Tandanya, S.A
2000 DACOU (in association with AMP), Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2000 Tandanya, Adelaide
1999 Caring for Country – Artists of Utopia, Tandanya, S.A
1999 DACOU Gallery, Adelaide, SA
1999 BMG Art, Adelaide, SA
1999 Tandanya, Adelaide
1998 Quadrivium Gallery, Sydney, NSW
1998 Selected entrant for the 15th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Award, Darwin
1997 Sutton Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
1997 DACOU Gallery, Adelaide, SA
1996 Utopia Dreaming, Soho Gallery, Sydney, NSW