Bone: 1945

COMMUNITY: UTOPIA, NORTHERN TERRITORY

LANGUAGE: ANMATYERRE

In 1945 Gloria was born at Atnangkere Soakage in the Northern Territory. She is an Anmatyerre speaker and has 6 sisters; Ada Bird, Violet, Myrtle, Kathleen, Nancy and Jeannie. Her dreamings include Mountain Devil Lizard, Bean, Emu, Pencil Yam, Grass Seed, Small Brown Grass, Wild Flowers, Bush Flowers and Bush Medicine. Currently, she lives at Mulga Bore [Akaye Soakage] Utopia.

In the 1970’s, Gloria was a founding member of the ‘Utopia Women’s Batik Group’. This group was instrumental for the development of female indigenous artists, providing them a space to create and allowing them to exhibit both locally and abroad. Although working in Batik for almost a decade, Gloria progressed to the medium of canvas in the late 1980’s. In 1990 she travelled to London, Ireland and India as representative for the Utopia Women, accompanying the ‘Utopia: A Picture Story’ exhibition. In the following year of 1991, Gloria had her first solo exhibition at Utopia Art, Sydney, Australia.

Initially, her work referenced womens’ body paint designs – particularly the ceremonial designs painted across the women’s breasts and shoulders. However, since those early works Gloria has developed a highly distinctive style of abstraction, where line and color continually push the artistic boundary. Gloria says that she prefers the greater freedom and control that she finds with medium of acrylic on canvas. During a solo exhibition, some of her works appeared as bands of different colour and their optical effects evoked comparisons with British artist Bridget Riley. Recently, Gloria has begun to experiment and depict her Bush Leaf Dreaming in a contemporary form whilst retaining its tradition context. Gloria Petyarre continues to meld tradition with the contemporary, creating exquisite artworks which connect to all people.

Gloria has been painting for redrock gallery since 1998.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

1980c. Summer Project Exhibition, CAAMA

1988 Time Before Time, Austral Gallery, St Louis, U.S.A

1989 Bloomfield Gallery, Sydney, Australia

Art From Utopia, Austral Gallery, St Louis, U.S.A.

Utopia Women, Coventry Gallery, Sydney, Australia

Utopia Batik, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs, N.T.

Aboriginal Art: The Continuing Tradition, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT.

1990 Utopia – A Picture Story, Tandanya, Adelaide, Ireland, U.K. and India.

Tagari Lia: My Family Contemporary Aboriginal Art 1990. Third Eye Centre, Glasgow, U.K.

1991 Aboriginal Women’s Exhbition, Art Gallery of N.S.W.

Australia Galleries, New York, U.S.A. [Solo Exhibition]

1991, 96’ S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney

1992 Robert Holmes a Court Collection, Bangkok, Thailand

Gallery Rai, Tokyo, Japan

Flash Painting, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

1992-93’ New Tracks Old Land: An Exhibition of Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia. [Traveling Exhibition- Australia and USA.]

1993 Awelye, Utopia Art Sydney [Solo]

Myra Morgan Gallery, Kansas, U.S.A.

Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery , Brisbane

Austral Gallery, St Louis, U.S.A.

Australian Embassy, Paris, France

1994 Power of the land, Masterpieces of Aboriginal Art. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

1995 Gloria Petyarre: On the Line, Utopia Art Sydney

A Celebration of the Art and Craft of Aboriginal women, Aboriginal and Tribal Art Centre, Sydney.

National Gallery of Australia – Canberra Museum of Art, Gifu, Japan

Mitchell Galleries, State Library of N.S.W.

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

1996 Nineteeninetyseven, Utopia Art Sydney

Institute of Technology; Seoul Arts Centre, Korea.

Fifth Australian Contemporary Art Fair,

Royal Exhibition Building, Vict.

Paperwork, Utopia Art Sydney

Contemporary Abstract Aboriginal Art, Sherman Galleries, Sydney

Imagining the Real: an exhibition of recent acquisitions from the Parliament House Collection, Canberra

The Third National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Art Award, Old Parliament House, ACT

The Gesture, Utopia Art Sydney

Utopia Women, Utopia Art Sydney

Hidden Treasures II: Art in Corporate Collections,

SH Ervin Gallery

Flagging the Republic, Sherman Galleries;

New England Regional Art Museum Touring Exhibition

Contemporary Australian Abstraction,

Niagara Galleries, Melbourne

William Mora Galleries, Melbourne

1997 Instant Pictures, Utopia Art Sydney

Sutton Gallery, Melbourne

Tapestries (woven by the Victorian Tapestry Workshop) Australian Galleries, Sydney.

Flagging the Republic, Grafton Regional Gallery

L’Art des Aborigènes d’Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Galerie de Stassart, Bruxelles

L’Art des Aborigènes d’Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Espace Paul Riquet, Béziers.

1998 The Anangkerre Growth Paintings, Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT

Gloria Tamerre Petyarre: a survey exhibition, Campbelltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery [Solo Exhibition]

Utopia: Ancient Cultures New Forms, Galeri Petronis, Malaysia [Solo Exhibition]

National Works on Paper, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Vict.

Primary Colours: Blue, Annandale Galleries, Sydney.

Women Painters of the Desert, Fire-Works Gallery, Fortitude Valley, Qld.

nineteen ninety eight, Utopia Art Sydney

Propositions Australiennes, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / galerie Luc Queyrel, Paris.

Culture Store, Art Gallery, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

1999 Utopia: Ancient Cultures New forms, Art Gallery of Western Australia

Petyarre Dreamings, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melb. Vic.

Embassy of Australia, Washington, U.S.A.

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, U.S.A.

2000 Paintings from Anungura, Utopia Art Sydney

Lines, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane

The Australian Drawing Biennale, Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra

5th National Indigenous Heritage Art Award, 2000 (Reconciliation Prize), Old Parliament House, Canberra

Landscape, Utopia Art Sydney

Arts d’Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Espace Mezzo - Avenue des Champs-Elysées, Paris, France

Arts d’Australie, Arts d'Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Salon Pharmagora, Paris, France

2001 Seven Sisters Petyarre, Brisbane City Gallery, Brisbane

Desert Flowering: Aboriginal Art from Private Collections, Manawatu Gallery, New Zealand

Dreamtime: the Dark and the Light, Kunst der Gegenwart, Vienna, Austria

Icons of Australian Aboriginal Art, Singapore

2002 Gloria Petyarre- Leaves & Awelye, Utopia Art Sydney.

Crossroads: the Millenium Portfolio of Australian Aboriginal Prints, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore.

Light Square Gallery, Adelaide

2002/03 Generations, Japinka Gallery, W.A.

National Gallery of Victoria at Federation Square, Melb

2003 Glen Eira City Gallery, Melbourne

97-2005 redrock gallery, Melbourne Vic.

2006 MY STORY BY GLORIA PETYARRE, redrock gallery, Melbourne Vic.

2007 June redrock gallery, Group Exhibition, Gallery Grand Opening Beijing, P.R China

2007 July redrock gallery, Group Exhibition China World Exhibition Centre, Beijing P.R China

2007 August redrock gallery, Group Exhibition, Grand Hyatt Hotel,Beijing, P.R China

2007 November redrock gallery, Group Exhibition, International Art Expo, Beijing, P.R China

        2008 July redrock gallery,Beijing, 2nd Gallery Opening, Group Exhibition,  Beijing, P.R China

       2008 November redrock gallery, Beijing: A Women’s Exhibition  Beijing, P.R China

SELECTED COLLECTIONS:

• Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

• Art Gallery of Queensland, Brisbane

• Art Gallery of N.S.W., Sydney

• National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

• National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

• Museum of Victoria, Melbourne

• Flinders University, Adelaide

• Griffith University Collection

• Gold Coast City Art Gallery

• Queensland University of Technology

• Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin

• Supreme Court, Brisbane

• Powerhouse Museum, Sydney

• Westpac Gallery, New York, U.S.A.

• Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford, U.S.A.

• Robert Holmes a Court Collection

• Mem Aziz Private Collection, Melbourne

• Wollongong University Collection

• Macquarie Bank

• Singapore Art Museum

• British Museum, London, U.K.

• Riddoch Art Gallery, S.A.

• Supreme Court, Brisbane, QLD

• University of New South Wales, NSW

• James D. Wolfensohn Collection

• University of the Sunshine Coast, QLD

AWARDS & COMMISSIONS:

1993 Tapestry for Victorian Tapestry Workshop, Melbourne Vic

1993 Mural for Kansas City Zoo, U.S.A.

1994 Tapestry Commission for the Law Courts, Brisbane, Qld.

1999 Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of N.S.W.

1997-2009 Mem Aziz Private Collection

1997-2009 redrock gallery, Melbourne Vic. 

  View Relevant Artists