ALAN PETYARRE PITJARA

DOB: c1960 Utopia   Northern Territory
Language: Anmatyerre
Dreaming’s: Yam, Men’s Ceremony and My Country

 
Alan is from the Utopia region which is approximately 5000sq kilometres of land Northeast of Alice Springs with a fluctuating population of 2000 people living in various outstations within the boundary.
 
Alan is the brother of Anna Petyarre Pitjara and Stephen Martin Pitjara who are both well known, established artists and the nephew to the late Greeny Purvis who is considered one of the most successful Australian artist.
 

He paints Yam dreaming, stories related to Men’s Ceremony and My Country which is the ancestorial land of his people in and around Utopia.


Using iconography, he portrays the narrative of this historically significant food source. In this painting, Alan utilises traditional iconographic elements to convey his Dreaming, he uses concentric circles to represent the various campsites. The parallel lines within the artwork represent the yam, known for its tubular root system, while the dots symbolise the yam seeds.