Janet Golder Kngwarreye / Women’s Dreaming (JG81)

Janet Golder Kngwarreye is an Anmatyerre artist from Mulga Bore on the Utopia Homelands. The artistic line in her family runs deep. Her grandmothers are esteemed Utopia artists Polly Ngale and Angelina Pwerle, her uncle is Greeny Purvis and her sister Belinda Golder Kngwarreye is also an accomplished artist.

Janet began painting in 1987, learning her skills from family members and taking on the subject matter that was familiar to the women artists in her family group. These include the Awelye Women’s Ceremonial Body Paint and the Bush Yam Leaf designs and stories as well as Bush Medicine and Mountain Devil Dreaming. In recent times Janet has developed further stories based around the women’s cultural practice on Country, combining imagery of bush tucker along with features of the Utopia landscape.

Janet Golder Kngwarreye is highly skilled in her use of colour with her paintings often fusing black and white design with colour elements. Janet has exhibited in galleries around Australia and internationally.

Awards and Recognition
• 2020 – One of Janet’s artworks was chosen to decorate the Coles Supermarket in Alice Springs

Selected Group Exhibitions
• 2021 Top 20 2021, Art Mob, Hobart
• 2020 Sounds of Summer, Japingka Gallery, Perth
• 2020 60 by 60 – Small Paintings, Japingka Gallery, Perth
• 2020 Central Focus, Art Mob, Hobart
• 2020 Cup of Joy – New Works from Rising Stars, Japingka Gallery, Perth
• 2019 Landscape Colours, Japingka Gallery, Perth
• 2018 Painting on Country – Utopia Artists, Japingka Gallery, Perth

Janet has painted a Women’s Dreaming story, combining her country with the bush tucker and waterholes that are imperative when the women go out bush for ceremony which can take up to a week. The women conduct important ceremonies at these sites, including that of 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.

During ceremonies the women pay homage to the spirit of this special plant in the hope that it will regenerate.