Gracie Morton Pwerle / Bush Medicine Leaves (1A)

Gracie was born c. 1956 in Utopia, Northern Territory where she still resides today.  Gracie is part of the famous Petyarre family – her mother is senior artist Myrtle Petyarre and her Aunties include Gloria, Kathleen, Violet, and the late Nancy and Ada Bird Petyarre, all international artists.

Along with her mother and famous aunties, Gracie started to paint on batik in the 1980’s and her work was featured in the prestigious Robert Holmes à Court Collection.

Gracie started painting on canvas in 1992.  Using very delicate dots, Gracie depicts the bush plum seeds, a significant part of the dreamings and ceremonies owned by the people from the Utopia region.  Gracie’s work has been exhibited and collected throughout Australia and Overseas.

Selected Exhibitions

1985/86

• Desert Mob, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs

1989

• Utopia Women’s Paintings. First Works on Canvas. A Summer Project, SH Ervin Gallery

1989-91

• Utopia – A Picture Story, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide; Royal Hibernian Academy, Ireland

1991

• Desert Mob, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs

• 8th National Aboriginal Art Awards, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory

1992/93/94/96

• Desert Mob, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs

1998

• Utopia and Balgo Hills, Aboriginal Art Galerie Baehr, Speyer, Germany

• Culture Store, Rotterdam. Netherlands

• Dreamings, Spazio Pitti Arte, Florenz, Italy

1999

• Canberra and French Embassy, Australia

• Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs

• Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs

• My Country, Ancient Earth Indigenous Art, Cairns

2000

• Ancient Earth Indigenous Art, Cairns

• Kunst der Aborigines, Leverkusen, Germany

2001

• Alliance Francaise de Canberra , Canberra

• The Unseen in Scene, Germany

2001-02

• Recounting the Essence of Life. Art from Australia, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany

2002

• Land is Life. Art from Australia, Ruegen, Germany

• Aboriginal Art Galerie Baehr, Speyer, Germany

Selected Collections

• Beher Collection

• Reimers Collection, Deidesheim

• Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Perth

• Slaughter & May International Law, London

Gracie has painted the Desert Yam (or Bush Plum) story from her family’s country. The yam grows underground with its viny shrub growing above ground up to one metre high. It is normally found on Spinifex sand plains and produces large flowers after summer rain. The yam is a tuber, or swollen root, of the shrub and tastes much like the common sweet potato. It can be eaten raw or cooked and is still a staple food for the desert aborigines where it can be harvested at any time of the year. It is also renowned for its medicinal properties. This medicine is used to heal cuts, wounds, bites, rashes and as an insect repellent.

In this painting, Gracie depicts the leaves and seeds of the yam paying homage to the spirit of this special plant in the hope that it will regenerate.