Azeza Possum / My Great Grandmother’s Country and Seven Sisters Dreaming (KFA25433)

Azeza Possum was born in November 1995 in Kempsey, New South Wales. She is the granddaughter of the late Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri AO (c. 1937–2002), one of Australia’s most celebrated Aboriginal artists. Clifford’s work is held in major collections and museums around the world and features prominently in important publications on the Masters of Australian Art.

Azeza is the second youngest daughter of acclaimed senior artist Michelle Possum Nungurrayi and Heath Tjangala. Michelle, the youngest of Clifford’s children, was taught to paint by her father alongside her sister Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi. Both daughters continue to carry forward the traditional stories, style, and iconography passed down by Clifford — enriched with vibrant colour and the inclusion of women’s ceremonial stories and Dreamings.

Azeza learnt to paint by observing and assisting both her mother Michelle and her aunt Gabriella. Her distinctive works are bold and expressive, blending the storytelling traditions of her paternal great-grandmother Long Rose Nungala with the strong, detailed imagery associated with her grandfather, mother, and aunt.

Together with her sisters Khatija and Chelsea, Azeza represents the third generation of this extraordinary artistic lineage. A talented and dynamic young artist, she is already making a strong impression in the art world — and there’s no doubt she has a bright and successful career ahead.

Selected Group Exhibitions
• 2023 Possum Family, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
• 2020 Family Business – The Art of the Possum Family, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
• 2019 Generations II, Mitchelton Gallery of Aboriginal Art, Nagambie VIC
• 2019 International Women’s Day, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney

The artist has cleverly combined her two dreamings – Women’s Dreaming – My Great Grandmother’s Country overlaid with Seven Sisters Dreaming.

Women’s Dreaming – My Great Grandmother’s Country
The Women’s Dreaming paintings by Azeza depicts Women’s ceremonial sites surrounding Tjukurla in the western desert of Central Australia – traditional homelands to the artist’s family.

Ceremonial sites carry a deep spiritual meaning and it is where the women narrate their sacred Aboriginal dreamtime stories, through song lines, dance cycles and body paint.

This painting has many secret and sacred landmarks and iconography but also includes the important fire, bush tucker and waterholes that are imperative to the women as the ceremonies can last for over a week.

Though primarily a landscape painting Azeza has surpassed the basic stories and landmarks and has expanded this art of body painting and ceremonial themes into a classic contemporary composition, using modern acrylic paints.

Seven Sisters Dreaming
In the Dreamtime a group of seven Napaltjarri women were being pursued by a Jakamarra man called Jilbi. He had been sitting in a cave at irlkirdi practicing love magic by cutting off his long hair and weaving it by hand onto a wooden spindle, then performing songs and dances which people from far off could hear.

Often he would entice young women to come to his cave and live with him. Jakamarra men were very proud of their successes when they practiced this magic and spent much time boasting among themselves about their prowess. The seven women had no intention of sleeping with the Jakamarra man and ran away from him, journeying a long way across the desert until they were too tired and hungry to go any further.

They sat down at Uluru to search for honey ants, then when they saw Jilbi approaching went to a place called Kurlunyalimpa and changed themselves into seven fires. With the help of spirits at Uluru they went up into the sky to become stars. Ever since then they can be seen as a cluster of seven stars in the constellation Taurus, known as the Pleiades. Jilbi transformed himself into the Morning Star in Orion’s belt and continues to chase the Pleiades across the sky.