Name: Andrea Pindan
Language: Walmajarri
Biography:
My name is Andrea Pindan. I was born on a station called Myroodah near Looma Community, about 190 km west of Fitzroy Crossing. I have four children and my husband’s name is Claude Carter. We live on a block that belongs to us - Bawoorrooga community, 100 km to the east of Fitzroy Crossing. My grandmother, Emily Pindan was a Martu woman. She came from the south, to the west of the Canning Stock Route, from a place called Wirnpa. It is in the warla [salt lake] country.I first enjoyed art in the year 2000 because my uncle Thursday Pindan used to paint Wirnpa. He is gone now but I always think of him because I used to help him finish his canvas paintings.
Today I do that painting of Wirnpa because it is my grandmother’s and my uncle’s country. Our family lived there for many generations. I also do another painting from the warla country. I paint the sweet bush tomato and the arma flower [bush medicine].
As a child, I lived with my grandmother growing up around Bayulu Community and Fitzroy Crossing. I also went back to La Grange to see my other family. I was always moving in a triangle between the three places. In 2009, I went to visit my ancestor’s country (Wirnpa) with my family. When we got there we had to break branches to meet the rainbow serpent. It was the ?rst time I felt this spirit. The ?rst time I have been touched by my ancestors. Everybody cried tears of joy. When I got there I was so happy, I walked around and collected sand frogs, witcherty grubs and other bush foods.
It was mostly young people that went back to country because it is up to the young people to keep that knowledge. That’s why they tell us stories and we have to listen carefully. That story could be 40,000 years old. Once they give the stories to us, it is our role to hand these down to our children. Most of the old people are gone now and it is up to us to keep the knowledge of that place alive.
PAINTING THEMES:
Bush foods and bush medicines
Living Jila [permanent waterhole] at Wirnpa
GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2012 | Mangkaja Arts 21 Year Anniversary Wirrinyiya ngaragngarag birra ngamoo ngamoo | Tandanya, Adelaide, SA |
2011 | Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair | Darwin |
2009 | Celebrating Country: Kinship and Culture | Seymour College, Glen Osmond, SA |
2009 | Waterholes and Dreaming around the percival lakes of Wirnpa country | Cool art, Coolum Beach, QLD |
2009 | Emerging and Re-emerging | Outstation, Darwin, NT |
2009 | My Country – Paintings from Yiyili | Bridget McDonnell Gallery, Melbourne, VIC Mangkaja Arts, Fitzroy Crossing, WA |
2008 | Revealed | Central TAFE, Perth, WA |
2008 | Waterholes and Bush Tucker | Bridget McDonald Hampton Gallery, Sydney, NSW |
2007 | Jila, Jilji and Miyi | Cool-Art Gallery, Coolum Beach, QLD Mangkaja Arts, Fitzroy Crossing, WA |
2005 | True Colours - Recent works from Fitzroy Crossing | Queensland College of Art Gallery, Griffith University, QLD |
2003 | Parrangka and Yitilal [Dry and Wet] | Cullity Gallery, University of Western Australia |
PUBLIC ART:
2012: Fitzroy Crossing Swimming Pool
2008: Fitzroy Valley Education Centre – perforated metal screen design
2008: Fitzroy Crossing Hospital - paintings on canvas
COLLECTIONS:
Fitzroy Crossing High School
Fitzroy Crossing Hospital
PUBLICATIONS:
2008: Exhibition catalogue, Central TAFE WA, DCA, DIR
Revealed
2003: Exhibition Catalogue
Cullity Gallery UWA Perth / Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency
Martuwarra and Jila [River and Desert]
Jungkut Billabong “This is next to Tarpu Jila this billabong. When raining time this place fills up with ngapa (water) every year I come back here and camp in the Jilji and go hunting and Read more…
