Sade Carrington / Purnululu (18855)

Sade Carrington was born on Texas Downs Station, East Kimberley in 1957. She was sent to school at Beagle Bay when she was four, then to Perth to complete her education. She worked in the homestead at Texas until 1980, when she joined her relatives at Warmun (Turkey Creek). Sade had married Churchill Cann, the head stockman at Texas Downs and who also went on to be an Internationally known Artist. They have three children – Dolorosa, Glen and Charlene – Charlene is now a celebrated Artist in her own right.

Sade travelled extensively with her art, both throughout Australia and overseas. In 1988 she was invited to present her painting to the Duchess of Kent during Her Highness’ visit to Adelaide. Sade has exhibited in London and The Netherlands and was invited to stay for six months at Galleries in Holland to demonstrate her technique in ochre painting. There, she exhibited successfully against artists in all mediums and had a solo exhibition at Boomerang Gallery in Amsterdam. On returning to Australia, her daughter Myria (named after Sade’s mother Betty Carrington) was born in Darwin. In 1997 Sade placed third in the prestigious National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards.

Sade’s fondest childhood memories are those of accompanying her father, Beerbee Mungnari, Henry Wambini and Jack Britten on their painting expeditions. In those days women and children were not taken to paint Purnululu but Jack would say “Let her come – she’s no trouble”.

COLLECTIONS
• Dubai Racing Club Collection, Dubai
• Duchess of Kent Collection, UK
• NASA Collection, USA

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2022
• Ngamu & Kilyingem: Old & New – Artworks from Gija Women – Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA

2021
• Betty Carrington, Sade Carrington, Charlene Carrington – Nancy Sever Gallery, Canberra

2019
• “Connection to Country” Fundraiser exhibition, Form Gallery, Perth WA – Environmental Defenders Office of WA exhibition

2018
• Moon Dreaming & Other Stories – Tim Melville Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand

2017
• Environs Kimberley Group Show – Kidogo Art House, Fremantle, WA
• Salon des Refuses – Charles Darwin University

2016
• Middle Distance – Hanging Valley

2015
• LIVELY: New Prints from Warmun Arts – Nomad Arts, Darwin NT

2014
• Warmun Aboriginal Art – Art Images Gallery, Adelaide, SA

2012
• Earth: Ochre Painting from Warmun – Tim Melville Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand

2010
• Warmun – Our Earth Our Story – Art Images Gallery, Norwood, SA

2009
• Ochre: A Study in Materiality – Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
• Warmun Ochres: Rich Earth – Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA

2008
• Traces of Country: Indigenous Fine Art Prints – Gecko Gallery, Broome, WA
• A Stint of Prints: New etchings from Warmun Art Centre – Nomad Art Productions, Darwin, NT
• ‘The Women of Warmun: Ten years on’, Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA
• ‘New Voices in Gija Art’, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne, VIC

2007
• ‘Dog Dreamings’, Seva Frangos Art, Perth, WA
• ‘Ochre, Brushes, Canvas: new work from Warmun’, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
• ‘Warmun Snapshot’, Aboriginal Art Fair, Darwin, NT

2000
• Australian Heritage Commission’s 5th National Heritage Art Award, Canberra, ACT

1999
• “World Heritage Exhibition”, Canberra
• Sixteenth National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT

1998
• “Kids of Warmun”, Tandanya Gallery, Adelaide – Special Guest

1997
• Dreaming Exhibition, Arnhem, Netherlands
• Boomerang Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Contemporary Australian & Aboriginal Artists Exhibition, Immaculate Gallery, Amsterdam , Netherlands
• Women’s Dreaming Exhibition, London, UK
• Raintree Gallery, Darwin, NT
• Fourteenth National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT

This is my Grandmother’s country, Purnululu. My Grandmother’s name was Lou-lou and she lost her parents when she was little. The Policeman and his wife at Turkey Creek ‘brought her up’ – taught her English and she used to translate for all the old people. Never lost her language (Gija) and culture though. She was the one that taught me all the stories for our country.

Purnululu is just to the east of Texas Downs Station, where I was born and worked. The mountains to the north are the biggest all around – the highest one is called Nyidbarryia (pronounced Nidburria). Our people always used that as a landmark as you can see it from a long way away. Then going down South you come to the Piccaninny Bungles – this is very different country made up of little hills all looking like ice-cream cones. The tourists all love this place called Purnululu – lots of people come from a long way to see this country.