72 AM 3318/05
Kunmanara (Mulakuya) Ken Rug 2005
Hand dyed wool, chain stitched rug 900 x 1500mm $585
Image description:

This rug is taken from an original small painting, a gouache on paper. The image is part of the recent emergence
of exciting semi-abstract paintings that express Tjukurpa (creation Stories) and contemporary life. This style of
work is unique to the Aboriginal women artists of the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Lands, in remote north west
South Australia but is also part of the wider development of contemporary Aboriginal art. Country and culture, as
well as exposure to the contemporary art world give these works distinctive ingredients that unite them as
community creations.

Project:

These beautiful, unique rugs are a cross-cultural collaboration combining Aboriginal designs and traditional
Kashmiri rug-making techniques. Chain stitched, using hand dyed wool and finished with a heavy cotton backing,
each rug is a completely handmade piece. This project, although in its early stages, is already bringing noticeable
benefit to the artists and the community. Purchase of these rugs guarantees a direct return to the Aboriginal
artists, as the project is an initiative of Kaltjiti, their own art organisation.

Artist:

Mulakuya is from Fregon on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Lands. Originally a batik artist, she now
paints and is known for her attention to detail. In common with many people of her era, Mulykuya Ken was born
'out bush', into a small family group that was largely nomadic. As a young girl, Mulykuya travelled with her family
throughout the country of her parents, learning how to find bush tucker, like rabbit, kangaroo, perentie (goanna)
and different bush berries. As a young woman, Mulykuya lived at the Uniting Church mission in Ernabella, north
of Fregon, where she married. Mulykuya was one of the first women in Ernabella to learn batik. In the mid
1970s, Mulykuya moved to Fregon and had four children. In 2004 she took part in the Desert Mob show, at
Araluen Centre for the Arts, Alice Springs.