Gloria Petyarre
DOB: 1945
Born at Atanangkere Soakage, Northern Territory, Gloria Petyarre was a founding member of the Utopia Woman’s Batik Group in the 1970s. With wonderful coincidence, she merged the traditional iconography of the Anmatyerre into the new medium of silk. A very innovative and dynamic artist, she exerted a great influence on others in the group.
In the early 1980s, Gloria made her first painting on canvas (for CAAMA’s Summer Project Exhibition) and soon developed her unique style of depicting the stories and her understanding of the traditional country.
In 1995/96, she received a Full Fellowship Grant from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board of the Australian Council.
Gloria is now one of the most highly-regarded and influential Australian Aboriginal artists.