Kathleen Petyarre was born Kweyetwemp, in c.1933 in the remote spinifex country of Atnangker, which lies some 275 kilometers (170 miles) north-east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Central Australia.
Kathleen Petyarre belongs to the Anmatyerr clan group and speaks Eastern Anmatyerr with English as a second language.
During childhood Kathleen Petyarre traveled around her vast homelands of some 200 square kilometers (125 square miles) with her father, mother, siblings and extended family, according to the seasonal availability of bush foods and water.
From this early age, Petyarre learnt to understand land navigation and acquired the knowledge of the spatial history of her country.
Kathleen Petyarre, her daughter Margaret, and her sisters later settled at Iylenty (Mosquito Bore) on Utopia Station and it was during this time that Kathleen Petyarre became one of the key women involved in the successful claim for the freehold title that lead to the 1979 formal hand-over of the Utopia lease back to its traditional custodians.
Kathleen Petyarre, together with her brothers and sisters have custodial rights of the Arnkerrth Dreaming (Mountain Devil Lizard), together with Its associated narrative, which is referenced in all works of Kathleen Petyarre.
Kathleen Petyarre’s Dreamtime ancestor Arnkerrth, (Moloch Horridus) is a small timid agamid lizard that inhabits the desert plains and sand ridges around Atnangker country, changing colour according to its environment, like true chameleon.
The enormity of the journeys of Arnkerrth can be felt in the remarkable paintings of Kathleen Petyarre, revealing to the viewer an insight into the endless beauty of her desert world..
Kathleen Petyarre was born Kweyetwemp, in c.1933 in the remote spinifex country of Atnangker, which lies some 275 kilometers (170 miles) north-east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Central Australia.
Kathleen Petyarre belongs to the Anmatyerr clan group and speaks Eastern Anmatyerr with English as a second language.
During childhood Kathleen Petyarre traveled around her vast homelands of some 200 square kilometers (125 square miles) with her father, mother, siblings and extended family, according to the seasonal availability of bush foods and water.
From this early age, Petyarre learnt to understand land navigation and acquired the knowledge of the spatial history of her country.
Kathleen Petyarre, her daughter Margaret, and her sisters later settled at Iylenty (Mosquito Bore) on Utopia Station and it was during this time that Kathleen Petyarre became one of the key women involved in the successful claim for the freehold title that lead to the 1979 formal hand-over of the Utopia lease back to its traditional custodians.
Kathleen Petyarre, together with her brothers and sisters have custodial rights of the Arnkerrth Dreaming (Mountain Devil Lizard), together with Its associated narrative, which is referenced in all works of Kathleen Petyarre.
Kathleen Petyarre’s Dreamtime ancestor Arnkerrth, (Moloch Horridus) is a small timid agamid lizard that inhabits the desert plains and sand ridges around Atnangker country, changing colour according to its environment, like true chameleon.
The enormity of the journeys of Arnkerrth can be felt in the remarkable paintings of Kathleen Petyarre, revealing to the viewer an insight into the endless beauty of her desert world..