Angelina Pwerle (Ngale) (born c.1946)

ANOOKITJA (BUSH PLUM), 2019

synthetic polymer paint on linen

150.0 x 121.0 cm

bears inscription verso: artist’s name and Delmore Gallery cat. 19J015

Delmore Gallery, Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Maunsell Wickes Gallery, Sydney
Private collection, USA

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Delmore Gallery which states:
‘Angeline Kngale’s artworks are painstaking labours of love. Her attention to detail would sometimes mean she would take several weeks at a time to complete a large masterpiece. Often in summer, the conkerberry bush or wild plum (that she calls anwekety in her Anmatyerre language) inspired her and produced an abundant crop of succulent sweet berries as she completed her paintings. Traditionally, Angeline (sometimes called Angelina) and her older sisters, Polly and Kathleen, would cover their upper bodies with emu oil; using ochre paints they would be decorated with specific designs related to the wild plum (anwekety), then they danced and sang (awelye) the story of the anwekety as a vital part of nature’s cycle, to ensure the profundity and continued productivity of this valuable food source. Angelina is a very consistent, meticulous artist who is now in greater demand than ever. This is a wonderful example of her work.’