Tuppy has close brush with fame

PITJANTJATJARA artist Tuppy Ngintja Goodwin has become the first woman to win the Hadley’s Art Prize, with the panel of judges describing her work Antara as “full of life”.

Goodwin’s painting, which won the acquisitive prize worth $100,000, depicts the ancient Dreaming story of Maku Tjukurpa (witchetty grub) from Mimili, which is an Anangu community on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands in the northwest of South Australia.

“It’s a very old story from a long time ago that I was taught when I moved to Mimili as a young girl,” Goodwin said.

“Now I look after it and teach it to the children. 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.”

Antara was selected from a group of 35 finalists. Of the winning work, the judges said: “Tuppy Ngintja Goodwin’s Antara is an incredibly resolved work of art and works so well as a whole. 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.”

The $10,000 Residency Prize was awarded to Darwinbased Max Bowden for her work And a nice day was really had by all. Tasmania-based Catherine Woo, meanwhile, won the Packing Room Prize, worth $1000, for A moment in the day, and Tasmanian artist Adam Howell, 18, won the $500 Student Prize.

The exhibition of the finalists’ works will be on display at the Hadley’s Orient Hotel in Hobart from July 23 until August 21. Entry is free.