Details of Nellie Stewart
About
Nellie was born in the bush at Pipalyatjara, her father's country in the late 1930's. Her mother is from Irrunytju and is Kuntjil Cooper's older sister. As a young girl Nellie attended school at the Ernabella Mission and later worked in Alice Springs teaching Pitjantjatjara language with her husband. She began painting in 2007 when she moved to Nyapari with her family.
Nellie Stewart is a senior Pitjantjatjara woman. She has an intuitive feeling for painting, drawing on her deep cultural connection to her country associated with the Tjukurpa of Minyma Kutjara (the Two Sisters Creation story) from Irrunytju. Her works are bold and colourful landscapes depicting country traversed by the two Ancestral women. Landmarks created by their epic journeying and activities embody a spiritual essence, which is captured in her paintings.
"Nellie Stewart creates artworks of classical simplicity, based on her major Irruntyju-centred thematique of the Two Sisters Dreaming. Stewart's luscious, gestural works are characterised by bold colour juxtapositions, often compromising a limited palette of reds, mauves, and orangey-reds. Often she emphasises significant aspects of the broader narrative by her use of lighter, contrasting colours; for example she sometimes deploys a light mauve or white, in order to draw attention to or highlight a significant element or motif in the narrative.
Typically Nellie Stewart uses a technique of over-painting a dark background, using brushstrokes in ways that evoke ceremonial body painting designs painted onto dark skin. Stewart uses her brush in ways akin to ways in which women use their fingers to smear layers of paint onto the darker background, in preparation for women-only ceremonies ('inma'). The mark making, such an integral part of women's body painting, also plays a decision role in Nellie Stewart's artwork". Dr Christine Nicholls
Located about 100kms south of Uluru, Nyapari is set at the base of the majestic Mann Ranges in the heart of country traditionally owned by the Pitjantjatjara people. These ranges known to Anangu as Murputja, Likening the mountains to the bony ridge of a person's spine, are the source of many waterholes and traditional camping places. The homelands of Kanpi, Nyapari, Angatja, Umpukulu and Tjankanu have grown from these seasonal camping places into permanent settlements. Over fifty artist from Murputja joined together with family members living in taditional country 180kms to the south at Watarru and created Tjungu Palya (Good Together).
Tjungu Palya is 100% owned and managed by Aboriginal people ensuring the wealth of talent and economic returns are retained in the community. Tjungu Palya promotes cultural integrity and the ethical sales of authentic art.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2011 'Minymaku Tjukurpa Kunpu - Women's Power, Womne's Law', Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2009 'Minyma Kutjara' Randell Lane Fine Art ,Perth WA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012 'Tjungu Palya Tjukurpa' - Chapman Gallery, Canberra ACT
2011 'Ngura Tjukuritja - A Dreaming Place' Mashall Arts, Adelaide, SA
2011 'The Women's Show', Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2011 'Western APY Lands', ArtKelch, Freiburg, Germany
2011 'Tjungu Palya - Masterpieces', Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT
2011 'Strong Womens Strong Painting Strong Culture', Sims Dickson Collection, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, NSW
2011 'Tjungu Palya 2011' Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
2011 'Tjungu Palya Tjukurpa' Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Sydney, NSW
2011 'Tjukurpa Manta' Raft Artspace, Alice Springs, NT
2011 'Living Water' National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC
2011 'Shalom Gamarada Art Fair', Woollahra, Sydney, NSW
2011 'Tjungu Palya Minymaku Tjurkurpa' Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2010 'Partnerships' Marshall Arts, Adelaide. SA
2010 Senior Artists - Important New Works, Randell Lane Fine Art, Perth, WA
2010 Tjungu Palya Survey Show featuring Keith Stevens, Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
2010 "Intangibles in Terra Australis' Sala kubo-kuxta in association with Marshall Arts, San Sebastian, Spain.
2010 'Tjukurpa Pulkatjara: The Power of the Law' South Australian Museum, Adelaide SA
2010 'Raft Launch' Raft Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
2010 'Art Bodensee Art Fair' Art Kelch Gallery (Germany), Dormbirn, Austria
2010 'Tjukurpa' Outstation Gallery, Darwin, Northern Territory
2010 'Our Mob' Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide, SA
2010 'Australian Contemporary Indigenous Art- Now' Chiaroscuro Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA in conjunction with Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2010 'Imma Mantangka Ngarinyi - Song of the Land' Putipula Gallery, Noosa, QLD
2010 'Desert Mob' Araluen, Alice Springs, Northern Territory
2010 'Ngaranyi Kunpu - Standing Strong' Aboriginal and Pacific Arts Sydney, NSW
2010 'Desert Country' South Australian Art Gallery, Adelaide, SA
2010 'Unsung Heros' Australian High Commission, Singapore
2009 'Alwara-wara Side by Side' Outstation, Darwin, NT
2009 'Tjukurpa Wirunya Kanyini' Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Sydney. NSW
2009 'Our Mob' Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide, SA
2009 'Wanampiku Munu Kalayaku Ngura' Chapman Gallery, Canberra,ACT
2009 'Kulini Ngura- Knowing Country' Short St. Gallery, Broome, WA
2009 'Masterstroke' Randell Lane Fine Art, Perth, WA
2009 'Desert Mob' Araluen Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
2009 'Anangu Backyard' Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide, SA
2009 'Our Mob' Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide, SA
2008 Iwara Mantangka -Land Lines' Randell Lane Fine Art, Perth, WA
2008 Expressions of Cultural Connections: Evolution of Aboriginal Artists' The American Club, ReDot Gallery. Singapore.
2008 Tjungu Palyaku Warka Nyuwana' ReDot Gallery, Singapore
2008 Manta Nyangatja Pitjantjatjara' Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
2008 Tjukurpa Kutjupa Kutjupa Tjuta, Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Sydney, NSW
2008 Tjukurpa Kunpu' Marshall Arts, Adelaide, SA
2008 'Womens Show' Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
COLLECTIONS
National Gallery Victoria, Melbourne. VIC
The Corrigan Collection, NSW
Maroondah Art Gallery, Ringwood, Victoria
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
Marchall Collection, Adelaide, SA
Lagerburg-Swift Collection, Perth, WA
W & V McGeoch Collection, Melbourne VIC
Artbank, Australian Government National Contemporary Art Rental
AWARDS
2011 Finalist Togart Art Award
2011 Finalist 28th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards
2010 Finalist 27th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards
2010 The Western Australian Indigenous Artists Award, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Perth, WA
Bibliographies
2011 Lacey, Stephen. 'Joining the dots, the search for true talent. The Sydney Morning Herald, May 7 2011
2011 'Emerging Artist - Nellie Stewart', The Adelaide Review, June 2011
2010 Nicholls, Christine, Dr. 'Australian Contemporary Indigenous Art Now, catalogue, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne & Chiaroscuro Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, USA
2010 James, Dianna. 'Colour comes up from the ground', Outstation catalogue, Darwin
2010 Lloyd , Tim. 'Paint novice discovers hidden talent' The Advertiser, March 8th.
2010 Nunn, Louise. 'Bush artists take 'world by storm'. The Advertiser, March 8th
2010 Bevis, Stephen. 'Exhibition overshadowed by death' The West Australian, March 17th.
2010 Tjukurpa Pulkatjara - The Power of the Law exhibition catalogue, Ananguku Arts Wakefield Press, pg44,45
2010 IAD Press, Jukurrpa Calendar, January - internal image 'Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa'
