Joy Kngwarrey Jones’ inspiration for her paintings is derived from her knowledge of Awely or women’s business. Awely describes everything associated with women’s ceremonies or rituals including the painted designs adorning the women’s bodies.
In preparation for the ceremonies, the women paint designs on the top half of their body using a variety of powders, ground from charcoal and yellow and red ochre. The body paint designs vary from ceremony to ceremony and depend on the subject and the time of year the ceremony is held. Different symbols are painted on the body and may vary from person to person depending on the seniority of each member.
Women’s ceremonies are focal points in the life of the community and are integral to the happiness and well being of the community. The ceremonies are led by the most senior women of the clan who lead the singing and dancing. At these ceremonies the younger women are taught the tribal dreamings or rules of life that are sacred to their clan. Joy Kngwarrey Jones’s paintings represent her interpretation of these designs which she views from an aerial perspective.
Collections:
Aboriginal Art Museum, The Netherlands
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
The Holmes à Court Collection, Perth
Exhibitions:
1989, Utopia Women's Paintings, the First Works on Canvas, A Summer Project , 1988-89, S. H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
1990, Utopia - A Picture Story , an exhibition of 88 works on silk from the Holmes a Court Collection by Utopia artists which toured Eire & Scotland
2006 - Senior Women of Utopia , GalleryG, Brisbane
2007 - Patterns of Power, Art from the Eastern Desert , Simmer on the Bay, Sydney.
