Emily Pwerle

Emily Pwerle Bio and Origin

The late, great Aboriginal artist Emily Pwerle left her mark on the Australian art landscape with her vivid and enchanting paintings. Born around 1922, she is from Utopia in the Northern Territory and belongs to the Anmatyerre language group. Well into her later years in life, Emily took up creating as an artist, though strong and reaching wide is her influence on contemporary Aboriginal art.

Emily Pwerle 450 mm x 590 mm

Emily Pwerle came from a long line of artists. She is the younger sister of the internationally acclaimed artist Minnie Pwerle and an aunt of the renowned artist Barbara Weir. The family connection to art influenced Emily's career path in creativity, though she has a distinct style of her own.

Emily Pwerle 450 mm x 450 mm

She was born and raised in the Utopia region, steeped in the deep-seated cultural heritage of her people. Anmatyerre has a solid tradition of painting, which features in the ceremonial body paintings, for instance, and the ground designs that later populated those dynamic canvases captivating the art world. Her early life was spent learning stories, songs, and rituals about her ancestors, all of which later informed her artistic practice.

Emily Pwerle Style and Significance

Emily, as with many Aboriginal people from her generation, witnessed an enormous transformation during her lifetime. The creation of the Utopia cattle station in the 1920s brought new challenges and opportunities for the local communities. Despite these changes, Emily and her family maintained active engagement with their cultural practices.

It wasn't until the late 1990s, when she was in her late 70s, that she first picked up a paintbrush. Many Aboriginal artists and, in particular, those from Utopia have been late bloomers. The art movement in Utopia took off in the 1970s and 1980s, and most of the artists first started to exercise their creativity through batik and then on to acrylic on canvas.

Emily first began to paint with her sisters Minnie and Molly. Her family, especially her exposure to Minnie Pwerle's influence immediate and profound; very early in her career, she started to show her own inimitable style. While the works of her sister Minnie show a more broad, sweeping gesture, the paintings of Emily generally consist of minute, detailed patterns.

Emily Pwerle 350 mm x 350 mm

Characterized by dynamic, energetic brushstrokes and a vivid colour palette, the artistic style of Emily Pwerle often features intricate patterns and designs from the dreamtime stories and cultural motifs common to her ancestry of Anmatyerre heritage. There is a rhythm here that recalls the movement of dance and the vibrations of song, an integral part of Aboriginal ceremonial life.

One of the most striking facets of Emily's art involves colour. Deep reds, bright yellows, rich purples, and earthy ochres burst upon the canvas. Often, these colours are more than beautiful; they hold deep cultural meaning. In much Aboriginal art, colour represents specific elements of the landscape or other aspects of ceremonial life.

The paintings of Emily often represent Awelye or, in other words, Women's Ceremony and Body Paint Designs. These designs are usually painted on the body for ceremonies and are linked with women's business, fertility, and the nurturing of the land. Transferring these sacred designs onto canvas has preserved an important part of her culture over many years and has been shared with a wide audience.

Emily Pwerle 450 mm x 450 mm

Other more common themes that keep recurring in Emily's work are the depiction of bush foods and medicinal plants. She quite often depicts bush plums and bush melons in her paintings in abstract forms, together with other flora, which have supported her people for millennia. These elements not only showcase the artist's deep connection to her land but also serve as a visual record of traditional knowledge.

Emily Pwerle 122cm x 122cm

This is not the only important role which Emily's art has played; she connected the traditional Aboriginal culture with contemporary art practices. Emily and other Aboriginal artists have been responsible for keeping the Aboriginal culture alive by translating ancient stories and their designs into modern mediums.

This also, in turn, challenges the preconceived notions concerning creativity and its relation to aging since she was able to develop her talent late in life. In this respect, her success proves that artistic ability may burst into blossom at any time of a person's life if the right opportunity and encouragement present themselves. Indeed, this has thus far inspired many people and created a wider appreciation for elder artists within the Aboriginal art community.

Exhibition of Emily Pwerle

Although relatively late to take up art, the work of Emily Pwerle has attracted significant attention within Australia and more recently abroad. Her paintings continue to feature in exhibitions that reflect the depth and richness of the newest phase of contemporary Aboriginal art. Following is a list of some notable exhibitions which included Emily's work:

2000 - Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, Northern Territory

First major exhibition with her sisters Minnie and Molly Pwerle.

2003 - "Emily Pwerle and Sisters", Gallery Savah, Sydney, New South Wales

An exhibition showing the families of the Pwerle sisters and their artistic accomplishments.

2005 - "Gathering: Contemporary Aboriginal Art Exhibition", Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, South Australia

This group exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal Artists was an important vehicle for the work of Emily.

2007 - "Desert Country", Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

Large-scale survey exhibition of Central Desert art, featuring works by Emily Pwerle.

2009 - "Emily Pwerle: Solo Exhibition", Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney, New South Wales

First solo exhibition in Sydney to showcase her evolving style and technique.

2011 - "Three Sisters: Pwerle and Purvis", Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, Western Australia

An exhibition by Emily, Minnie and Molly Pwerle and their niece Barbara Weir.

2013 - "Colors of Desert", Aboriginal Signature Gallery, Brussels - Belgium

This group exhibition of Central Desert artists gave Emily international exposure.

2015 - "Emily Pwerle: Awelye", Artsite Galleries, Sydney, New South Wales

A solo exhibition of Emily's women's ceremonial body paint designs.

2017 - "Desert Diversity", Nandaâ‹…Hobbs Contemporary, Sydney, New South Wales

A group exhibition showcasing a variety of works by Emily and other well-acknowledged Aboriginal artists.

2019 - "Emily Pwerle: Retrospective", Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, Northern Territory

A comprehensive look at the artistic journey of Emily, featuring works from throughout her career.

These exhibitions brought not only Emily's art but also the whole genre of Aboriginal art into the wide world view and made people recognize it as one big contemporary art movement. The special vision and the cultural heritage of Emily for the first time appeared in the eyes of art lovers worldwide.

She also features in almost every group exhibition of Utopia artists and in collections of exhibitions that feature women artists from Central Australia. These would have provided the placement of Emily's art into the broader context of Aboriginal artistic expression.

Furthermore, Emily's paintings also form part of important institutional and private collections within and outside Australia. This would be additional proof of her artistic and cultural relevance at an institutional level.

Emily Pwerle 350 mm x 450 mm

Buy Emily Pwerle's Paintings at Mandel Aboriginal Art Gallery

The journey of Emily Pwerle from the heart of Utopia to the walls of prestigious galleries around the world was a testament to the power and universality of Aboriginal art. Her dynamic, energetic paintings capture viewers' imaginations into the wears, offering messages about the rich cultural heritage of her Anmatyerre.

Emily Pwerle 450 mm x 600 mm

If Emily's story has inspired you and her art moved you, allow the Mandel Aboriginal Art Gallery a rare opportunity to bring a small piece of this cultural legacy into your home or private collection. We encourage you to explore our collection of paintings by Emily Pwerle and discover the dynamic vibrancy in her stories for yourself. Buy a painting by Emily Pwerle, and you are buying not only a picture but becoming a part of the ongoing saga of keeping cultures intact.

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Take your time and contact our website or call us at 03 9497 5111 for more information regarding the current holdings of Emily Pwerle paintings in the Mandel Aboriginal Art Gallery collection.

It would also be a pleasure just to have our informed staff make a selection for you to add to your collection or grace your living space anytime. Each has the opportunity to own a piece of Australian Aboriginal art history. Come and experience firsthand the magic of Emily Pwerle's art at Mandel Aboriginal Art Gallery today!