Atham-areny
Awards:
Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Award
Finalist Wynne Prize
This painting depicts the women & children covered in body paint singing and dancing with the Witch Doctor. In preparation for their ceremonies, the aboriginal women paint designs on the top half of their bodies using a variety of colours ground from charcoal and red and yellow ochres. 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. At these ceremonial gatherings the women are taught the tribal dreaming or rules of life by the senior women. The atham-areny are spirits who come to steal and hide the babies and children and the women’s ceremony is undertaken to ward off these spirits and protect the their children.
Acrylic on belgian linen, unframed.
Size: 128cm x 94cm.
Location: On display in the gallery during the aboriginal art exhibition December 2025. Refer to our exhibitions page to find out more.
Code: EDA-AP1536/13.
Frequently bought together
Atham-areny
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