Antara, 2016, Betty Kuntiwa Pumani
Acrylic on linen, 100cm x 150cm
Provenance: RAFT Artspace, Alice Springs.
Betty Kuntiwa Pumani was born in the bush near Perentie Bore and is a traditional custodian of the significant site of Antara, her mother’s country. Pumani’s extraordinary success in the Australian art world has been recognised with the wins of both the 2015 and 2016 General Painting Award of the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award. She is recognised for her signature use of vibrant red and contrasting whites with large scale visionary compositions, and her style evokes the beauty of her country (1).
From the authenticity certificate: Antara is a sacred place for Anangu. It holds many tjukurpa (songlines) stories that cross this land. This painting depicts this special place. Antara has a very important rock hole where the women would perform intake pakani, a dance ceremony that would create enough maku for everyone. The painting also depicts the landscape which is surrounded with rocks, rock holes, creeks and mountains.