Awelye Emily-cullinan-tag after which she returned permanently

after which she returned permanently to Utopia with her six children

she remembers and honours important stories that have been passed down to her by her father

encouraged by his brother Warlimpirrnga

a visual echo of the sung narratives that have guided generations

Awelye Emily-cullinan-tag after which she returned permanentlyGalyas work is distinctive and highly individual. Her early paintings, dating from around 2004, drew on Portulaca oleraceaknown as munyerooa grass once abundant in the Utopia region and an important food source for generations. Its tiny black seed became central to her imagery, with Galya adopting its half circle form as a dominant motif in her paintings. Over fifty years of cattle grazing greatly reduced the abundance of this grass. In her paintings,