Lena Pwerle

Anmatyerre Language Group

“Soakage”

90 x 90cm

Ref No: LP49104

In this painting Lena uses circular designs to represent soakages that dot her land in the Utopia region. Lena recalls that these soakages, now all dried and used up, had plenty of water in them when she was growing up, providing her people with a much needed water supply. With their intimate knowledge of the harsh desert environment Lena's people knew how and where to find them.

Lena was born in 1934 and grew up at Utopia Homestead and then lived in many other places in the Utopia regipon. Lena was married to the late Left Hand Sam Kngwarreye and together they had 5 children. Lena initially worked in the medium of batik along with over 80 other women from the Utopia area. Her work is featured in "Utopia-A Picture Story". In 1996 she was invited to represent Australia in Western Samoa for the Festival of Pacific Arts, where she was marked as 'among the best available talent'.
Lena is held in collections at The Powerhouse Museum as well as The Holmes a Court collection.