A senior member of the Pitjantjatjara art style has been awarded Hadley's Prize Art, the country's richest prize for landscape artworks.
Elder Tuppy Ngintja Goodwin will take home $100,000 prize money, the first woman to win the award since its inception five years ago.
The vibrant work is inspired by the witchetty grub Tjukurpa, and depicts the landscape of Antara (from which the work takes its title) in South Australia's Aṉangu area.
"It's a very old story from a long time ago that I was taught when I moved to Mimili as a young girl. Now I look after it and teach it to the children," said Ms Goodwin of her winning painting.
"The Witchetty Grub story is a big ceremony. There are three deep rock holes where we go and lots of songs associated with this place. I love to sing them when I paint, sharing them with my granddaughters and friends.”
Ms Goodwin's work was selected from amongst stiff competition from 35 finalists, and judged by a panel including Waanyi artist Judy Watson and several of the country's most senior curators.
The judges, in awarding Ms Goodwin the prize, singled out the lyrical quality that the artist said she brings to her process.
"The colour palette is fascinating – the colours push and pull across the painting. The work generates movement. You can imagine the artist singing; it’s almost like a performative work," they wrote.
Ms Goodwin is recognised within her community as an Elder that is dedicated to the preservation of traditional law, culture, dance and art.
She worked for thirty years at the local Mimili Anangu School, teaching dance and song, and storytelling.
She has been painting at Mimili Maku Arts since its foundation in 2009.
