Mountain Devil Lizard

The painting depicts Dreaming of the Mountain Devil Lizard and the land of Antangker - Kathleen Petyarre's country located in the Utopia region, approximately 250 km northeast of Alice Springs. In the Dream Time, Arnkerrth - the Ancestor of the Old Woman - wandered the land with young maidens, shaping the landscape and creating sacred places. One day she left the girls alone and went to perform a ceremony. When she returned she discovered that the young women were not waiting for her. Angered, she killed them all. The event changed her utterly and from then on she began to rely on the cooperation of young and old people.

Kathleen Petyarre presents a bird's eye view of her country. A very fine, intricate dotting technique shows the local vegetation. The clear lines represent the traces of a lizard living in this area called the mountain devil (the thorny devil). The elongated shape in the lower right corner of the painting represents the place where men and women meet ceremonially. Elegant and lyrical compositions in a minimalist style have brought Kathleen Petyarre international recognition as one of the most important artists in contemporary Australia. She has won numerous awards and her work is included in Australian and international collections.