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LENA PWERLE

LENA PWERLE - Soakage

LENA PWERLE - Soakage

Regular price $3,500.00 AUD
Regular price Sale price $3,500.00 AUD
Sale Sold out

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LENA PWERLE

TITLE: SOAKAGE

ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
76CM X150CM
LENA HAS SIGNED THE PAINTING AND A PHOTO OF LENA WITH HER ARTWORK WILL BE PROVIDED
 
REF#LP484
 
 
DOB: 1934-2022.  Ahalpere - Utopia,  Northern Territory
Known as: Lena Pwerle, Lena Pula, Lena Pwerl
Language: Anmatyerre

 

Dreaming’s: Soakage, Awelye (Women’s Ceremony),Anwekety (Conkerberry/Bush Plum) 

Lena was a senior Anmatyerre woman and respected cultural leader from Ahalpere in the Utopia Region of Central Australia. Lena held important roles with the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority and the Urapuntja Council, helping to safeguard sacred sites and support her people. She was married to the late Left Hand Sam Kngwarreye and was mother to five children, including artist Nora Petyarre. Her life was grounded in family, Country, and the continuation of cultural knowledge.

Raised at Utopia Homestead with her siblings Ray Loy, Cowboy Loy and Louie Pwerle, Lena lived and worked across her Country, including Ngkwarlerlanem (a small community in the Barkly Region in the N.T.) where she spent many years with her husband and children. She first painted as part of the Utopia batik movement, a pivotal moment in contemporary Aboriginal art, before moving into acrylic painting in the 1990s. Her early works drew on the colours of her land, while later paintings embraced a more vibrant and expressive palette.

Lena is best known for her Soakage paintings—layered, rhythmic compositions of circular forms that map the water sources across her Country. These works speak to the importance of water as a life force, while also holding deeper cultural and ancestral meanings. Alongside this, she painted Awelye (women’s ceremony) and Anwekety (conkerberry), each expressed through her own distinct visual language.

A strong and generous presence, Lena encouraged other women to paint, share knowledge, and remain connected to culture. Her work carries both authority and warmth—an enduring reflection of her life, her family, and her Country.

Please note: I photograph every painting as carefully as possible, but colours can appear slightly different depending on your screen settings and lighting. If you'd like additional photos, a personal video, or even a live FaceTime viewing before you decide — just ask. I'm always happy to help you feel completely sure.

This painting was purchased directly from Lena and a gallery certificate of authenticity will be provided with the sale.

 

Authenticity

Authenticity
Altyerre Aboriginal Art provides its customers with a profile of the artist for every piece of artwork sold. This profile records information that Altyerre Aboriginal Art has gathered on the artist and general information on the stories that the artist paints. Altyerre Aboriginal Art encourages its artists to sign each piece of artwork either with a signature or a cross (some older artists cannot write their name).

Certificate of Authenticity
An artist profile and information on the story being painted is also provided and wherever possible, a photo of the artist holding the painting is included if possible. The certificate is comprised of the following details about the painting:
~ Catalogue No – A unique number assigned to each individual artwork
~ Size
~ Medium
~ Date the artwork was created (this may be an approximate date for our much older pieces)
~ Artist’s name
~ Artist’s Language Group
~ Artist’s Country
~ Title/Story of Artwork
~ Description of the artwork’s story as told by the artist where possible
~ Signature of the Altyerre Aboriginal Art owner

Each Certificate of Authenticity is printed onto Altyerre Aboriginal Art letterhead and provides exceptional provenance for each artwork.

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