Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi - Seven Sister's Dreaming 2024 - Straight Bat x Yatra Foundation

GABRIELLA POSSUM NUNGURRAYI
Seven Sister's Dreaming, 2024 
Synthetic Polymer Paints on Canvas

1050 x 1640 mm ---- 

GABRIELLA POSSUM NUNGURRAYI
Born: 1967
Group: Anmatyerre
Language Group: Arrernte

Born in 1967 at Mt. Allan, Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi is the eldest daughter of renowned artist Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri - who was awarded Order of Australia in 2002. She was taught to paint by her father at a very young age, and since her father's passing the value of her works has increased dramatically. His influences are apparent in her work, yet she has formed a style of her own. At the tender age of 16, Gabriella won the coveted Alice Springs Art Award while still a student at Yirara Lutheran College in Alice Springs. She is recognised as a culturally significant artist and her work has been exhibited in the USA and throughout Europe.

Her paintings depict stories such as Seven Sisters Dreaming, My Grandmother’s Country, Bush Tucker (exploding seed and black seed from the Mt. Allan area), Women's Ceremonies, Serpent and Goanna Dreamings. Gabriella's work is bold and vivid in colour and composition and utilises many different techniques, the "dot" technique in particular. Her work is included in many major collections including the National Gallery of Australia and she was commissioned by Melbourne Festival and her artwork was installed on a Melbourne Tram. In 2007, Aranda Aboriginal Art commissioned her to complete a 20 metre art installation depicting her custodial Grandmother's Country for Jamie Durie’s display at the 2008 RHS Chelsea Flower Show which was awarded gold. At the 2008 Chelsea Flower Show, a Gabriella Possum artwork was presented to HRH Queen Elizabeth, which now hangs along side her fathers work within the walls of Buckingham Palace. Gabriella also broke her world wide auction record in 2008 when Grandmothers Country was sold by Artcurial 07 Jul 2008 at the Hôtel Dassault in Paris, France for 24,784 € (Euros).

Gabriella now lives in Melbourne with her family.

Collections
National Gallery of Australia
Her Royal Highness Princess Adela Bint Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Canberra Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory, Darwin, N.T
Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, SA
Holmes a’ Court Collection, Perth, WA
Kelton Collection, Santa Monica, USA
Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT
Galeria R, Poznan, Poland
Aranda Collection
Knight Family Collection
Corrigan Collection
Michael Schumacher Collection
Meka Collection
Saudi Royal Family
Winterthur Collection, Switzerland
HRH Queen Elizabeth
Richard Branson

Seven Sisters Dreaming

This artwork details tells the creation story of the sky and the ancient myth of the Milky Way and the Seven Sisters (Pleiades). This dreaming was inherited by Gabriella from her mother and grandmother and given to Gabriella by her father. This story takes place at ‘twenty mile’ located near Napperby Creek in the Northern Territory. The Seven Sisters travelled over a vast expanse of country, until they realised that they were being followed by a man called Wati-Nyiru (who was a Tjakamarra man). With little hope of relief, the seven sisters escaped through a fire at Kurlunyalimpa to the Milky Way where they became the stars of the Pleiades in the Constellation Taurus. There they are safe and at rest and watch out over all the women on earth. Wati-Nyiru followed them to the heavens, and become the star Orion, unable to get near them as they move across the night sky. Gabriella depicts the cloud formations in front of the Milky Way in the night sky. The seven concentric circles represent the seven sisters while the lone star represents Orion (the Tjakamarra man) reforming the constellation of Pleiades.

Notes provided from renowned Gallerist, Adam Knight from Knight Fine Art 

Supporting the Yatra Foundation

100% of the proceeds from this auction will be donated to the Yatra Foundation. Straight Bat PE have purchased this auction item to support Yatra to deliver their important work in providing positive outcomes and opportuities for disadvantaged children in India via education. Yatra is a not-for-profit organisation founded by four passionate Melbournians with a close connection to India, where all money raised is shared directly into projects.  

https://yatrafoundationaustralia.org/