Dulcie Long Pula / Awelye-Atnwengerrp (Body Paint) (IW8741)

Dulcie Long Pula was born in 1979 at Boundary Bore Outstation in the Utopia region of the Northern Territory.  She is an Anmatyerre woman.

Dulcie is a member of one of the most renowned painting families in Australia. Dulcie’s mother is respected artist Jeannie (Pitjara) Petyarre and her famous relatives include Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Gloria and Kathleen Petyarre, Greeny Purvis Petyarre and the Pwerle sisters, Minnie, Emily, Galya and Molly.

It was these relatives who encouraged Dulcie to paint the Desert Yam (or Bush Plum) story from her family’s country which she does so with meticulous execution. Dulcie depicts the leaves of the yam, paying homage to the spirit of this special plant in the hope that it will regenerate.

A very traditional lady, Dulcie lives with her extended family at Utopia and works as a carer at the aged care facility.  Dulcie will no doubt delight collectors within Australia and worldwide with the unique art of Utopia, memorable for the amazing colour and flowing imagery.

The patterns throughout Dulcie’s painting illustrate women’s ceremonial body paint design. The large roundels depict the waterholes around which the women perform ceremony and the small circles are the bush melons, representing the bush tucker that they live on whilst the ceremonies are taking place, which often take up to week. The women apply the body paint designs onto their breasts, arms and thighs singing as each woman takes their turn to be ‘painted up’. Their songs relate to the dreaming stories of ancestral travel and other totemic plants, animals and natural forces. Awelye – women’s ceremony, demonstrates respect for the land. In performing these ceremonies they ensure well-being and happiness within their communities.

Although Dulcie uses a variety of bright colours in her paintings, the traditional colours used during ceremony for her dreaming stories from Atnwengerrp country are red and white. Atnwengerrp lies in the heartland of Alyawarr country, about 200 kilometres to the north-east of Alice Springs.