Details of Keith Stevens
About
Keith Stevens is a senior Pitjantjatjara man born in the far north of South Australia at Granite Downs where his parents were working in the 1940's. Following in his parents footsteps, he was mustering at an early age and had no schooling until moving to Pukatja (Ernabella) as a young boy where he attended the mission school. Keith's family would travel for weekends to their traditional homelands of Piltati and Iwarrawarra. Keith's father eventually sat down with his family close to Piltati creek at what is now Nyapari Community. Keith is a respected senior man in traditional law and a strong community leader.
"Today Keith is a man of both worlds. A highly respected traditional law man and a skilled painter of the tjukurpa in the modern medium of acrylics. His careful application of thick rich colour in intricate patterning creates a three dimensional moulded topography of the Piltati plateau and gully. Colour floods the landforms with the static tension of the Tjukurpa creation energy metamorphosed into rocky and sandy creek bed. Finely drawn ancient motifs float on the painted ground. Traces of ancestral camps, footprints, spears and digging sticks. Energetic marks of the Tjukurpa recoding the story of creation." Diana James
Keith's highly distinctive red textured fields of colour evoke an ancient landscape, the country of the Tjukurpa. His intimate knowledge of his country is referenced in his works with important landmarks depicyed across his canvases. These are dynamic works that have a magical quality which sing out and touch the viewer.
Keith comes from an artistic family, his mother Eileen Yaritja Stevens (dec) and his uncles Tiger Palpatja and Ginger Wikilyiri are well-known for their depictions of Piltati the ancestral story for Nyapari. Keith also paints the Tjukurpa of his traditional land Piltati.
'Nyapari ngura ka Piltati ngura. Minyma kutjara nyinanyi waruangka. Kangkuru ini Wanyinta ka malanypa ini Alartjatjarra. Tjana Maliluku untalpa. Wati kutjara nyangatja, tjukupa minymaku ngura minyma kutjara, minyma tjukurpa unngu. Tjana mukaringkula kilinangkupai maiku kukaka mukuringkula. Palumpa ngura ngara palulanguru tjana ankupai maiku kukaka mantjintjikitatja. Tjana wana katipai munu wira tjawantjakitjaku munu tjana katipai waru tjangi. Painta nyangatja Piltatiku tjukurpa. This is country for Nyapari and Piltati. The two women from Piltati are sitting by their fire. The elder sister is Wanyinta and the younger one is Alartjatjarra, These are Malilu's daughters. This is Piltati. There are two men here and two women. The story is underground. If people want meat or bush tucker they go to this place and clean around and talk to the area. From here those two women would go out and collect their food. They would carry a digging stick and collecting bowl and also a firestick. This is the Piltati story'
Keith is receiving high acclaim for his works and is represented in major private and public collections including the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.
TJUNGU PALYA
Located about 100 kms south of Uluru, Nyapari is set at the base of the majestic Mann Ranges in the heart of country originally owned by the Pitjanjatjara people. These ranges, known to the Anangu as Murputja, likening the mountain to a 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 50 artists from Marputja joined together with family members living in traditional country 180 kms to the south of 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 int he community. Tjungu Palya promotes cultural integrity and the ethical sales of authentic art.
MEDIUM
Acrylic on Canvas
THEMES
Piltati, Wnampi Tjukurpa (Serpent Man Creation Story)
Iwawawara
Wati Ngintaka (Perentie Lizard Man)
Wati Mamu (Evil Spirit Man)
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2010 - 'Keith Stevens Solo', Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011 - 'Tjungu Palya 2011', Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
2011 - 'Western APY Lands', ArtKelch, Freiburg, Germany
2011 - 'Ngura Tjukuritja - A Dreaming Place', Marshall Arts, Adelaide, SA
2011 - 'Tjungu Palya - Masterpieces', Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT
2010 - 'Tjunga Palya Survey Exhibitions', Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
2010 - 'Etched in the Sun - Prints by Indigenous Australians' with Basil Hall Editions, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
2009 - 'Survey of Prints', Nomad Gallery, Darwin, NT
2009 - 'Etched in the Sun' with Basil Hall Editions and Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London, England
2009 - 'Alwara-wara - Side by Side' Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT
2009 - 'Kulini Ngura - KNowing Country', Short St Gallery, Broome, WA
2008 - 'Desert Mob', Araluen, Alice Springs, NT
2008 - 'South Australian Impressions', Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide, SA
2008 - 'Iwara Mantangka - Land Lines', Randell Lane Fine Art, Perth, WA
2008 - 'Our Mob', Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide, SA
2007 - 'Piltati', Marshall Arts, Adelaide, SA
2006 - 'Tjukurpa Mantatja', Randell Lane Fine Art, Perth, WA
2006 - 'Nganampa Tjukurpa Nganampa Ngura', Marshall Arts, Adelaide, SA
2005 - 'New Works from the APY Lands', South Australia Museum, Adelaide, SA
COLLECTIONS
National Gallery of Victoria
Artbank
W & W McGeoch Collection
The Lepley Collection
BIBLIOGRPAHIES
2010 - James, Dianna, 'Colour comes up from the ground', Outstation catalogue, Darwin
2009 - Imprint, Winter 2009, Cover image, Wati Ngintaka Munu Anamara 2008/9, multi plate etching
2009 - Hall, Basil. 'Etched in the Sun' - Prints made by Indigenous artists with Basil Hall, Imprint, Winter 2009, Vol. 44, p. 24-25
2009 - Cruthers, John. 'Tjukurpa Mantataja - Stories from the Land', Australian Aboriginal Art, Issue 1, March
