Emily Pwerle

Emily Pwerle was born in around 1922 in the remote Utopia station community (350km north east of Alice Springs). Utopia has a thriving artist community and is the birthplace of the celebrated Emily Kame Kngwarreye.

Emily Pwerle is sister to the hugely successful Aboriginal artist Minnie Pwerle; also Molly Pwerle and Galya Pwerle – Together known as “The Pwerle Sisters”. Emily is also the aunt of acclaimed artist Barbara Weir (Minnie Pwerle’s daughter and grand daughter of Emily Kame Kngwarreye).

Throughout 2004, Barbara Weir organised a workshop for the sisters, where they produced an amazing body of works. Occasionally they would collaborate on one artwork together. In recent years, the sister’s have again started to paint collaborative works.

Like her sisters, Emily’s paintings depict traditional women’s ceremonies known as “Awelye Atnwengerrp” which is broadly translated as women’s dreaming. Although all the sisters share the same Dreaming, each one has their own completely unique interpretation of the Dreaming.

The bold expressive lines in Emily’s paintings are said to represent body paint designs, dancing tracks made in the sand during women’s ceremonies and sacred places where the ceremonies take place.

Emily’s paintings are held in collections and galleries around the world.