| Artist | Cynthia Burke |
|---|---|
| Title | Purtingkatja - Pinirnpa (From the bush - Anthill) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Medium | Tjanpi (wild harvested grass) and bush dyed raffia |
| Dimensions | 62 × 29 × 31 cm |
| Art Centre | Tjanpi Desert Weavers → |
Out of stock
Cynthia Burke
Cynthia Burke was born in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and now spends her time between Warakurna and Irrunytju (Wingellina) communities in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands of Western Australia. Her creative and arts practice covers a broad range of disciplines. Cynthia began working with Tjanpi Desert Weavers in Warakurna in 2016 and worked across eight communities to support Tjanpi artists and their art making. Cynthia is also an internationally exhibited painter with Warakurna Artists and also works with Maruku Arts where she is a Director and the most prominent emerging wood carver.
Artist statement
We thought we would use coils and the basket-making skills we know in a different way, to create a new style of sculpture. We went out bush to look around at all the interesting shapes and sizes of mountains, trees and anthills, some pointy, some round and some crooked. We also wanted to make our own special colours from the bush, so we made plant dyes and wove our sculptures with these soft colours. We made many tjanpi coils and stitched around and around, growing our sculptures up and out and in again. Some of us stitched our coils really strong and tight, and others kept the coils more grassy. The leaves, roots and barks we collected made colours that all look lovely together, just as all the colours of the bush look so lovely together too.
– Cynthia Burke, Dianne Ungukalpi Golding, Erica Ikungka Shorty, Yanyangkari Roma Butler, Dorcas Tinnimai Bennett