The importance of an indigenous artist can be related to both their cultural role and their creative output. Most of the determining factors that work in the contemporary and international art markets hold true for indigenous art as well. < Back HOW TO COLLECT ABORIGINAL ART — WHAT MAKES AN INDIGENOUS ARTIST IMPORTANT The importance of an indigenous artist can be related to both their cultural role and their creative output. Most of the determining factors that work in the contemporary and international art markets hold true for indigenous art as well. These include the recognised importance of their role in the development or history of a particular art style, the number of solo exhibitions they have held, their representation, the quality of the galleries they are shown in, and the number of important collections their work has been placed into. When considering an artwork, ask yourself the following three questions: Is this work entirely consistent with the artist’s cultural background? When people refer to Indigenous Australian art as a ‘school of art’, I try to explain to them that, if that term means anything at all in the Australian context, Aboriginal art consists of many different schools. Each and every tribe in Australia has its own approach to art and each is stylistically different and as instantly recognisable as say cubism or expressionism in European art. Each of these tribal styles conforms to regional styles that have had their master practitioners and leaders. What do I know about this Artist’s career? Throughout an artist’s career their art goes through a number of developmental stages. In the case of traditional artists, this can be due to their having gained the right culturally to depict additional stories in new ways; their adoption of new mediums; or, in the case of a number of very important desert artists, their abandonment of ethnographically specific iconography in favour of more abstracted minimal imagery. It is of course much easier to identify changes in style amongst urban aboriginal artists, as this is very similar to looking at any other contemporary work. Two Women Dreaming – Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula 85.0 x 126.0 cm An artist’s renown may be the result of works created throughout their entire career, or due to a particular period during their career. For instance, the majority of Rover Thomas’s early ceremonial boards, produced between 1979 and 1984, are more highly prized and valued than many of his later works produced when he had come to think of himself as a contemporary painter. This is also the case in the career of Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, whose early 1972 Papunya boards have sold for upwards of $400,000, while most of his paintings produced after the 1980s languished in the market throughout the 1990s and have only recently begun to be viewed more favourably. Yet the most desirable paintings by Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula and Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri are their minimal and ethereal late career paintings. Click this link to learn more about the careers of the most important Aboriginal artists and the periods and styles of paintings that are the most highly desirable, written and maintained by indigenous art specialists, Mirri Leven and myself. The careers of most popular artists illustrate the above issues when it comes to placing a value on their work. EXAMPLE 1: The Balgo Hills artist Elizabeth Nyumi painted from the late 1980s until 2011, but achieved greatest prominence for paintings created just prior to and after having been selected as a feature artist in the 14th Biennale of Sydney in 2004. These texturally liquid, ripely coloured paintings were a significant creative advance on earlier flatter depictions of her country and the almost generic paintings she made at the beginning of her career. Yet her late career works, created between 2006-2008, do not exhibit the same qualities that made those paintings from 1999-2004 so very popular, despite the enormous increase in her prices over the period. This makes it imperative that, in considering the work of this particular artist, you determine what her most popular periods were. EXAMPLE 2: My Country – Kudditji Kngwarreye 241.5 x 198.0 cm 1980s paintings by the formative Papunya painters may currently be out of fashion, but they would seem to represent a wonderful opportunity for the collector. After all, these artists were amongst the most important of the ‘golden age’ of the movement, and their 1980s paintings represent the moment when they began to see themselves as painters and artists as opposed to ethnographic recorders of cultural information. A fine collection of works by the artists of this period would be relatively inexpensive to put together. Surely, if these were collected carefully, documented properly, toured, and loaned to various institutions, their recognition and hence value would increase markedly over the next decade or two. The same could be said of the male artists of the Utopia region in the Eastern Desert, whose work has been largely overlooked due to the emergence and current pre-dominance of female artists from that region. Is this artist recognised nationally? There are as many different types of art in the universe as there are cultures that populate it. All art worlds, almost without exception, are an elitist construct; Australian indigenous art is no different. When it comes to the prominence of particular artists and the financial value of their paintings, many factors may come into play. Buyers are, for the most part, historically ignorant and strongly influenced by the activity and promotion of elite gallery directors and important curators and experts that specialise in a particular ‘taste culture’. All dealers have artists and regions that they are committed to promoting, and they do so through powerful and strategically calculated business practices. They promote their galleries and businesses in order to advance their own bone fides. By attaching their imprimatur to the artists and paintings that they represent, they add value and cache to the artworks that are purchased from them in preference to those that are purchased through alternative sources. Naturally, elite galleries function best when they can tie up a particular artist’s work and gain exclusive access to it. By denying access to others they can have confidence in advertising the artist’s work widely and setting the prices at whatever level they like. In a buoyant market this exclusive access ensures success. While this principle works well in the non-indigenous art market, it is not entirely suited to Aboriginal art. I have observed the great pride and satisfaction that many artists derive from the knowledge that they have a number of alternative people to whom they can sell their art. More and more the market is developing in a way that sees artists exploring possibilities outside of the art centre/elite gallery nexus. Despite a strong argument that this leads to exploitation and undermines the market, the number of options open to Aboriginal artists continues to increase over time. Alongside those artists that have achieved the degree of recognition that they truly deserve, the world is full of mediocre artists that have ‘made it’ and great artists who have not. The nature of the art market dictates that good dealers, curators, and institutions become the determining difference in the careers of the great majority of artists. Yet, once an artist becomes well known their options open up greatly. For many the fact that they work outside of the art centre/elite gallery construct has done little, if anything, to diminish their fame or financial rewards. In fact, in many cases, quite the opposite has occurred. TIP NUMBER 3 THE LESS YOU PAY FOR A WORK, THE GREATER THE FINANCIAL RISK Shopping around to find a gallery that will sell a work by a desired artist at the cheapest price is generally not in your best long-term interest. A large number of factors must be taken into consideration if you wish to ensure the price you pay represents good value. If you are simply buying a painting in order to decorate your home, this may not be such an important issue for you. After all, so many people insist that they buy simply to enjoy and have no intention of ever selling. However, I have learnt from experience that few collectors enjoy the thought that the value of an artwork they have purchased may actually decrease over the life of their ownership. You may be surprised to learn that the majority of art actually decreases in value in real terms over time. I say ‘in real terms’ in order to take into account the effects of inflation and the costs involved in selling the piece at the time you choose to exercise your ‘exit strategy’. Secondary sales compete in the market with works being produced by currently practicing living artists that sell through retail shops and exhibiting galleries throughout Australia and overseas. Most of the artworks being sold year after year in the ‘primary market’ will eventually join the ‘secondary’ market. Previous Next Featured artworks Quick View ANGELINA PWERLE NGAL - UNTITLED ( BUSH RAISIN MAN) Price AU$3,000.00 Quick View ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) Out of stock Quick View LILY YIRDINGALI JURRAH HARGRAVES NUNGARRAYI - KURLURRNGALINYPA JUKURRPA Price From AU$13,500.00 Quick View BRONWYN BANCROFT - UNTITLED Out of stock Quick View JOSHUA BONSON - SKIN: A CELEBRATION OF CULTURE Price AU$8,500.00 Quick View Book BOOK - KONSTANTINA - GADIGAL NGURA Price From AU$99.00 Quick View FREDDIE TIMMS - MOONLIGHT VALLEY Price AU$35,000.00 Quick View NEIL ERNEST TOMKINS - BURN THERE, DON'T BURN THERE Price AU$7,000.00

Artist Profile for Helicopter Joe Tjungurrayi < Back Helicopter Joe Tjungurrayi Helicopter Joe Tjungurrayi 1947 ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE HELICOPTER TJUNGURRAYI - THIS PLACE MY COUNTRY Sold AU$0.00 top Anchor 1 PROFILE Helicopter Joe Tjungurrayi 1947 Born in 1947 at Ninmi, Joe Tjunurrayi grew up around Jupiter Well amongst the infinite undulating sand hills of the Great Sandy and Gibson Deserts. He inherited his now familiar name after a car accident in his youth, when the first Helicopter ever seen in the area collected and took him to hospital. The way in which Kukatja people embraced this alien object was indicative of the creative manner in which they have approached relations with Western culture, both in their attitude and their artistic practice, most especially since the early 1980’s. Helicopter grew up to become a respected traditional healer and medicine man (Maparn) and married Lucy Yukenbarri, who began painting for Warlayirti Artists at Balgo Hills in the late 1980’s. At the time Michael Rae had introduced a broader range of acrylic pigments and Lucy began to develop her typically linear mode of dotting referred to as Kinti-Kinti (close-close), in which dense masses of colour were built up on the canvass to create blocks of texturally stippled colour. Together they painted in close collaboration throughout the early nineties during which Helicopter’s participation was never recognized or acknowledged. It was not until James Cowan became the art coordinator at Balgo Hills in late 1994 that Helicopter was encouraged to paint his own works. At first he would not admit that he could paint, but after some encouragement ‘he arrived one morning with a small masterpiece under his arm' (Cowan 1995: 5) Soon after Tjunggurayi was flying solo ‘his rotor-like beard flaying the air as he speaks eager to put down his memories on canvass‘ (Cowan 1995: 5). The art centre simply could not get enough of his works as they sold immediately upon completion. His renditions of sandhill country are often contrasted by a central water hole and occasionally, interconnected sites. Areas of variegated colour occasionally depict a variety of bush food including Purra (bush tomato), Kantilli (bush raisin) and Walko (bush apple).And while the centrality of rockholes, water holes, and soakwaters in his compositions reflect the pivotal role played by reliable permanent ‘living’ water sources during his nomadic existence as a youth, this iconography is always secondary to the textural and optical effect of his works. In a further development of Lucy’s close linear dotting, Helicopter’s works are characterised by tightly overlapping dots that create linear striations in texturally stippled thick impasto. In a manner not dissimilar to the painting style of Tjumpo Tjapanangka and to a lesser degree Boxer Milner, the paint on Helicopter’s canvases leaves a rippling thick texture when dry, more familiar to that achieved by artists who work with oil paint. Often segregated by planes of less congested dotting the tight bands of sympathetic colour create a shimmer reminiscent of the way in which the heat of the desert distorts its visual impression. During his career Helicopter has made significant shifts in his palette, thereby reflecting the ancient tradition of seeking out materials alongside earth pigments to depict the intensity of the desert. In rendering his country Helicopter Tjungurrayi, along with other Kukatja’s artists, has employed brilliant blue, red, black, and white in zigzagging or undulating meanders as he has navigated this introduced medium to depict an ancient and ever-present vision. This experimentation with colour highlights the often ambiguous dialogue surrounding cross-fertilization between Indigenous and Western culture. Marcia Langton has commented that ‘It is not coincidental that the centres of the most highly prized genres of Aboriginal Art … are former mission settlements-the sites of contest between two religious or cosmological systems' (cited in Ryan 2004: 99). With the distance of time, the fruits of this traumatic collision offer fascinating insights into other cultural differences and ways of seeing and believing. Helicopter’s magnificent relief print This Place My Country, is part of a collection of prints by artists from Balgo, Yuendumu and Lajamanu exploring the visual tradition relating to Yilpinji, the love magic of the Walpiri and Kukatja people. Yilpinji presents an alternative artistic and cosmological tradition concerning love, accompanied by an entirely different vocabulary, particularly when it concerns the placement of the seat of human emotions, which is found not in the heart but the stomach, the throat being the primary location of sexual love and attraction. Falling in love is described as waninja-nyinami (throat sitting). Helicopter Tjungurrayai is an important Kukatja healer. Yet his life and art is living proof that the meeting point of Indigenous and Western cultures is not exclusively a gloomy affair. His innovative works remind audiences across the world of the ‘vital, evolving nature of this art form' (McDonald 2006: 1) and indeed culture, with an exhilaration, even playfulness, not often attributed to Indigenous artists. His works were featured as early as 1995 when he participated in the exhibition Two men Dreaming at Coo-ee Gallery in Sydney. Since that time he has been included in a large number of group shows, and solo exhibitions in 1999, 2003 and 2004 with Alcaston Gallery. These have increased his standing and resulted in his works being included in important overseas collections including the Museum de Lyon and, more recently, the Musee de Quai Branly in Paris. ARTIST CV Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS With collectors keen to purchase his works since they first appeared in galleries from 1995 onward, works by Helicopter Tjungurrayi did not begin appearing on the secondary market until 2001. His entry was less than auspicious with only Billarn Rockhole 1997 and Burrundjarri Rockhole 1996 selling of the five offered during 2001 and 2002. Billarn Rockhole achieved a reasonable $3,300 given the estimate of $2,500-4,000 placed on it in Sotheby’s July 2001 sale (Lot 256). However the fortunes of his works at auction increased dramatically over the following three years, in no small part due to the exposure he received through two solo exhibitions with Alcaston Gallery in Melbourne. Solo exhibitions by Balgo Hills artists were rare at that time and Helicopter was one of the first artist’s from the community so honoured. Between 2003 and 2005, 12 paintings were offered of which 11 sold. These included the work that held his record until 2010 as well as paintings that occupy his fourth, eighth and tenth places in his current top ten. Prior to 2010 his record was the $7,200 set by Lawson~Menzies in May 2004 when Mamakarra Soakage 2000 sold carrying an estimate of $5,000-7,000 (Lot 127) while Shapiro Auctioneers established his fourth highest result in their March 2005 sale (Lot 30). Despite 2006 being a bit of a wash-out with only two sold of six offered, 2007 saw works enter positions two, four and ten in his sales list. The best of these was the work untitled 2003 which was offered at Joel Fine Art in June and achieved $6,383 (Lot 47). Five works were offered in 2010, with three selling taking both the first and second places in this top ten artworks list. In July, Sotheby’s sold Wangkartu for $12,600 against a presale estimate of $10,000–15,000 and Deutscher and Hacket achieved second place with the sale of Jupiter Well, 2004 for $8,400. Similarly 2011 brought another record making sale, Jupiter Well 2003, created a new second place when it sold for $9,150 at Mossgreen's November Auction (L122). With this steady increase of sales and new works entering the top ten list each year, Helicopter is an artist whose work seems to be increasing in value on a yearly basis. He is now the oldest of the Balgo male artists and as his production in the primary market slows, expect his secondary market prices to continue their steady rise. Overall Lawson~Menzies has taken up the running with the most prolific offering of Helicopter’s works having sold 12 works for a total value of $45,208. Sotheby’s follow with six works sold, Deutsscher and Heckett with three, Joel Fine Art with two. A variety of other auction houses have sold just one each. Unfortunately Helicopter has rarely painted works larger than 120 x 80 cm other than participating in a number of so called ‘triptychs’ that were produced during James Cowan’s tenure at the art centre. These works, while interesting, will always be discounted in value due to the lack of connection between the Dreamings rendered by each of the artists who participated on the one canvas. In hindsight it seems such a terrible pity that artists like Helicopter were not just given a 180 x 120 cm canvas or larger on which to complete their own individual work. Had he the opportunity to paint three metre canvases I have no doubt they would rival those of Turkey Tolson, Ronnie Tjampitjinpa and others. Only two works 150 x 90 cm had been offered and these were the largest to appear at auction. They sold for $5,040 and $4,642 in 2005 and 2007 respectively. Neither however were of a quality to set the world on fire. 2010 saw the first larger work of high quality hit the secondary market , and this set his highest price record of $12,600. Expect to see more major works eventually make their way in to the auction houses and establish new records for this very interesting and important Kukatja medicine man. Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .

SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR 2025 Booth J09 - Carriageworks Everleigh Viewing Room SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR 2025 Booth J09 - Carriageworks Everleigh Ngarukuruwala Kapi Murrakupuni ‘we sing to the land’ Artists: Carol Puruntatameri & Alison Puruntatameri Presented in collaboration with Munupi Arts, Tiwi Islands 11 - 14 September 2025 Created and presented in collaboration with Munupi Art Centre, Art Leven presents an exclusive exhibition of bark works by Carol Puruntatameri and Alison Puruntatameri. In these works, an elaborate mythology, represented by a complex practice of sacred dance ceremonies and song-lines, is translated onto the surface using intricate, geometrical designs, rhythmically applied in an almost trance-like painting process. Both artists consistently evolve their traditional practises, bridging the old and new to each artwork they create. As artist Carol Puruntatameri explains: "Ngarukuruwala Kapi Murrakupuni means ‘we sing to the land’—a practice that invites our ancestors to watch over us and guide us as we gather ochre, bark, and other materials. Our paintings are like our songs to country, just as we call out and sing to our ancestors when we visit the land. This connection is woven not only into the materials we use but also into the stories and designs of our bark paintings." This booth will provide collectors and audiences with a rare opportunity to experience the raw, expressive power of Tiwi bark painting, a testament to the continuity of culture and the strength of ancestral connections. Both artists will travel to Sydney for the occasion, and will be leading a series of talks and events. VIEW PDF CATALOGUE ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) Sold AU$35,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI Sold AU$19,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPAL (DIPTYCH) Sold AU$18,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI Sold AU$7,500.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI Sold AU$7,000.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) Sold AU$5,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPAL price AU$4,000.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) Sold AU$3,500.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI Sold AU$3,500.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) Sold AU$3,000.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) price AU$2,500.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPAL Sold AU$1,800.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) Sold AU$22,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI Sold AU$19,000.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) price AU$12,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI Sold AU$7,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI Sold AU$6,500.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) Sold AU$5,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI price AU$4,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI price AU$3,500.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) price AU$3,500.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI price AU$3,000.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) Sold AU$2,200.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPAL price AU$19,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI price AU$18,000.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) Sold AU$12,000.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) price AU$7,000.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) price AU$6,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI price AU$5,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI price AU$4,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI price AU$3,500.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) Sold AU$3,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI Sold AU$3,000.00 CAROL PURUNTATAMERI - YIPALI PURRUKUPALI Sold AU$2,200.00 SCAF2025

MAKING MEMORIES Kitty Napanangka Simon From 05 March to 10 April 2016 MAKING MEMORIES From 05 March to 10 April 2016 MAKING MEMORIES From 05 March to 10 April 2016 Kitty Napanangka Simon "Cooee Art Gallery in partnership with Warnayaka Art Centre, Lajamanu NT is proud to announce Kitty Napanangka Simons third solo exhibition, to coincide with Art Month Sydney 2016 and Spectrum Now 2016 SPECIAL GUESTS Kitty Napanangka Simon and Warnayakas Manager will be attending the Opening. The artist is solely represented by Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery (Sydney). Kitty Napanangka Simon (b. 1948) is a Warlpiri woman from Lajamanu, on the northern edge of the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory. She is one of Mina Minas senior custodians and a keeper of Women Law for this remote and isolated desert landscape. Kitty painted her first works in the late 1980s before hanging up her paint brushes to focus on raising her family. She began painting again in 2008 experimenting with various styles before adopting a looser, more immediate approach for her first solo exhibition in 2013 at Cooee Art Gallery Sydney. Her unique paintings have created a sense of excitement and enthusiasm earning her great admiration within the broader art world. [[CELL-ARTWORKS|20160407124017,20160407123636|N,N,large,Y,2,Y]] Her recent 2015 solo in exhibition, Only Women Dance Till Dawn, held in New York at Pollon Art, was hugely successful, introducing her work to a wider international audience. The colourful work of Napanangka Simon has become a considered choice for newer and younger collectors, as well as remaining a consistent choice for established collectors. In this new body of work Napanangka Simon uses a combination of line work, coming from body art and ceremony, and intricate dot work. She embraces her own individual style and works in bright large merges of colour. This style represents yawulyu (womens ritual design or art) a tradition of Warlpiri women to depict the story of Mina Mina (near Lake Mackay). With fluidity and resolve, Kitty employs optic whites and an array of pastels to capture the feeling and colour of the desert flowers and the natural features of the surrounding salt plains of Mina Mina, 600 kilometres to the south of Lajamanu. Mina Mina is a sacred place to Warlpiri women. It was created by the Karntakurlangu, a large group of ancestral women who danced across the vast salt plain feeding on its wild fruit - bush bananas and native plums. The rhythm of their dancing vibrated through the landscape creating the undulating sandhills, water courses and clay pans. Napanangka Simon paints rapidly and without draft, the composition is built new every time. The act of painting is metaphysical. The brush moves accompanied by rhythmic chanting. Ancient song recalls and brings to life the songline and story that she is depicting. The very act of painting is a means by which she can revise and vivify knowledge of Country and the creation story which brought Mina Mina into existence. Each painting is carefully considered and deliberated over, changed and discussed with the other artists. This sometimes provokes laughter and sometimes debate as each artist gives their thoughts and reaction to the work. Kittys paintings are very different to Lajamanu style, but Warnayaka Art Centre has always had one or two controversial artist in its ranks. Art Centre Manager, Louisa Erglis says: This criticism has meant Kitty has had to take a brave stand and like women everywhere she isnt alone, but has the support of her skin sisters and the women staff. Cooee Art Gallery in Partnership with Warnayaka Art Centre is proud to announce Kitty Napanangka Simons third Solo exhibition to coincide with two major Sydney Arts Festivals: Art Month Sydney and Spectrum Now."

Register now to participate in our captivating Aboriginal art auctions. Don't miss the opportunity to bid on extraordinary artworks from renowned Indigenous artists. Gain access to exclusive auction events and immerse yourself in the world of cultural significance and artistic brilliance. REGISTER TO BID AUCTIONS AUCTION 18 NOVEMBER 2025 WATCH LIVE AUCTION REGISTER TO BID ONLINE BID TELEPHONE/ABSENTEE/PRIORITY CATALOGUES & RESULTS BUYING FROM CONSIGNING NOW Art Leven [formerly Cooee Art] offers several ways to participate in one of our auctions. Bidding forms are also available in our showroom in Redfern during the auction preview. Bidding forms can be submitted in person, online or emailed. If you have not previously bid with us, upon receiving your bid form we will request photo identification, such as a drivers licence or passport. To learn more about the process read Buying From Our Auctions. If you have any questions about the bidding process please contact us . TELEPHONE BID ABSENTEE BID ONLINE BID REGISTER TO BID AS AN ATTENDEE or select to bid via: TELEPHONE BID ABSENTEE BID or ONLINE BID First name Last name Email Select an Address Write a message Terms and Conditions* The hammer price is final and does not include buyer’s premium or GST (where applicable). Bids are made in Australian dollars. Buyer’s Premium - A buyer’s premium of 25% (including GST) is added to the hammer price on each lot. The day following the sale, the Post Sale Service team will send you an Invoice. The final amount due will include the hammer price, the 25% buyer’s premium (including GST). Electronic Bank Transfer is the simplest payment method and your invoice will include our bank details. A 2% surcharge (inclusive of GST) applies to Visa and MasterCard payments. Alternatively, payment may be made by cheque, cash or eftpos. Please note: payments made by cheque are subject to a 5-day clearance before goods can be collected. Collection, Transport & Shipping - ALL collection notifications, shipping requests and requests for carrier recommendations are to be emailed to our Post Sale Services email address auction@artleven.com.au Proof of identification is required upon collection and lots not collected within seven days of the sale may incur costs associated with external storage and freight. I understand it is my responsibility to enquire whether any Sale-Room Notices relate to any lot on which I intend to bid. I also understand that should my bid(s) be successful, a buyer’s premium of 25% (inclusive of GST), will be added to the final hammer price. Full terms found here I agree to the terms & conditions Submit Thanks for registering to bid as an attendee AUCTIONS | REGISTER | CONSIGNING NOW | CATALOGUES & RESULTS | BUYING FROM AUCTION

AUCTION ADMINISTRATOR < Back Dr Ksenia Radchenko AUCTION ADMINISTRATOR Dr Ksenia Radchenko completed a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Art Curating from the University of Sydney. With experiences working at the University of Sydney, Chau Chak Wing Museum, and Sydney Living Museums, Ksenia has also lived in Moscow and Los Angeles, deepening her understanding of the global art world. Ksenia brings a unique perspective to her work. As an Auction Administrator, she combines her creative and practical skills to excel in her role at Art Leven. ksenia@artleven.com +61 (02) 9300 9233

ARTIST TALK WITH KITTY NAPANANGKA SIMON Paddington Gallery for the Kitty Napanangka Simon artist talk. 6 - 8pm From 19 April to 19 April 2018 ARTIST TALK WITH KITTY NAPANANGKA SIMON From 19 April to 19 April 2018 ARTIST TALK WITH KITTY NAPANANGKA SIMON From 19 April to 19 April 2018 Paddington Gallery for the Kitty Napanangka Simon artist talk. 6 - 8pm

INDIGENOUS FINE ART AUCTION 17 Thurlow Street Redfern NSW 2016 11 October 2022 | 7PM START INDIGENOUS FINE ART AUCTION 11 October 2022 | 7PM START INDIGENOUS FINE ART AUCTION 11 October 2022 | 7PM START 17 Thurlow Street Redfern NSW 2016 Once more, the enthusiastic and dedicated team of Cooee Art specialists have assembled a wonderful selection of regionally diverse and historically significant Indigenous paintings, sculptures, and artefacts. These artworks were sourced from collections around Australia, the Americas, and Europe, and will now be offered to our discriminating collectors. This wonderful collection proves, without doubt, that the allure, resilience, and appeal of Australian Aboriginal art is eternal. The sale, consisting of 103 lots with an estimate value of $1.8 - 2.5m, will be on view at Cooee Art showroom in Redfern from October 4th to October 11th. VIEW CATALOGUE VIEW AUCTION RESULTS

MINNIE SHOW FOR MINNIE PWERLE From 11 August to 11 September 2021 MINNIE SHOW FOR MINNIE PWERLE From 11 August to 11 September 2021 MINNIE SHOW FOR MINNIE PWERLE From 11 August to 11 September 2021 The bold linear patterns of stripes and curves throughout Minnie’s painting depicts the womens ceremonial body paint design. After smearing their bodies with animal fat, the women trace these designs onto their breasts,arms and thighs singing as each woman has a turn to be ‘painted up’. The songs are all related to the Dreamtime stories of the Awely-Womens ceremony demonstrates respect for the land and in performing these ceremonies they ensure well being and happiness within the communities.

KantillaKitty Kitty Kantilla Kitty Kantilla 1928 - 2003 Kitty Kantilla was born c1928 at Yimpinari, on the eastern side of Melville Island, and lived a traditional life as a child, only exchanging the paperbark roof of her youth for mission life in her adulthood. The mission settlement located on the eastern coast of Bathurst Island some 100 kilometres across the waters to the north of Darwin had been established in 1911 and those who worked in the mission received rations such as beef, flour, honey and tea to supplement their bush tucker. In 1970 Kitty, along with a number of other countrywomen, created a tiny outstation in her mother’s country at Paru, on Melville Island just across the waters of the Aspley Stait within sight of the growing township of Nguiu. It was here that Kitty first began working as an artist, with a group of widowed women who became renowned during the early 1980’s for their iron wood sculptures of ancestor figures drawn from the Purukupali legend. By the late 1970’s, the pottery, established in Darwin at the Bagot reserve by Eddy Puruntatamerri and others, had been reestablished in Nguiu. This was joined in 1978 by Tiwi Pima Art, which encouraged the production of traditional arts including wood carving, bark painting, and weaving. In the early 1980’s a fabric printing facility, Tiwi Design, was established and by 1985 all three enterprises came under the same management. The Paru women sold their work through this facility on Bathurst Island until, by the early 1990’s, most of them had passed away. Without their support and friendship, Kitty moved in to Milikapiti (Snake Bay), where Jilamara Arts and Crafts had grown from an Adult Education centre supporting more and more artists who lived closer to their own country. Here as she grew older, she ventured away from sculpture and began working on canvas and paper. The roots of Kitty Kantilla’s art, regardless of medium, was always tied to the fundamental Tiwi creation story. This classic morality tale is the equivalent in Tiwi Culture to that of the Ramayana or Mahabarata in Asia and India, or Adam and Eve and their fall from grace amongst Christians. In the Tiwi version of creation, Bima, the wife of Purukapali, makes love to her brother in law while her son Jinani, left lying under a tree in the sun, dies of exposure. Purukapali becomes enraged and after his wife is transformed into a night curlew he begins an elaborate mourning ceremony for his son. This was the first Pukumani (mortuary) ceremony, and tells how death first came to the Tiwi Islands. It remains at the centre of Tiwi culture to this day 'as a nucleus for the entire Tiwi world-view' (McDonald 2003). Kitty Kantilla’s art, and indeed all Tiwi art, is informed by the ornate body painting of the Pukumani ceremony. What makes the art of Kitty Kantilla and those of her generation so inherently important is that the meaning of these designs, characterized by abstract patterns made up of dots and lines, has been largely lost since the missionary era. She was amongst the very last who inherited these designs intact from her father. In her own words, ‘I watched him as a young girl and I’ve still got the design in my head’ (Ryan 2004: 394). In the early period of Kantilla’s works on paper and canvas her style consisted of white, red, and yellow dots against a black background. The fields of dots were punctuated solely by bands of solid colour or geometric shapes. By 1997 she began painting on a white background, thereby reversing the colour dynamics and energy of her works. Still maintaining exquisite attention to detail, her style varied once more in 2002, when she began to employ large blocks of textured colour, punctuated by small segments of dots and lines on both black and white underlay. This subtle mastery over abstraction, anchored to the very essence of her culture, and the trembling impression of her marks at this late stage of her life, evoked the movement of participants as they sang and danced during ceremony. Art critic Sebastian Smee most aptly described Kitty Kantilla as ‘a poet of small scale contrasts’ (2000: 22). In her final years, though frail, she could imbue her works, despite their lack of figuration, with her mixed feelings about the passing of the old ways and the uncertainty about the new. Her art practice and her reputation during the last decade of her life was greatly enhanced by the very special relationship she shared with Gabriella Roy who promoted her as an artist of renown with regular solo exhibitions at her Aboriginal and Pacific Gallery in Sydney. In 2000 Kitty participated in the Adelaide Biennale of Australian Art, and in 2002 she won the works on paper award at the 19th Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards in Darwin. Kitty Kantilla, was honoured with a posthumous retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria which opened in 2007 and toured nationally. While Kitty Kantilla may not have achieved the highest results of all Tiwi artists, but she has received by far the greatest recognition, due principally to the fact that she was the only Tiwi artist of her generation to have been properly represented by an exhibiting gallery. Her early works were mainly paintings on bark and sculptures decorated in traditional ochre designs. It is her sculptures that took up most of the running in pushing her results during the period post 2010. Despite vast differences in size 13 of the 14 sculptures that have come up for auction have sold for an average of $11,133 and a 30 x 92 cm bark created in 1989 doubled its top estimate selling for $10,800 at Lawson Menzies in May 2005 (Lot 9). Other than that, no other bark paintings have come on the market. Their scarcity has enhanced their value and in time they are likely to become as coveted as her rare and delicate late career paintings. Unfortunately, Kitty only had access to arches paper and stretched canvases toward the end of her life and, being such a tiny, fragile, elderly person who took great care with her artwork, she was unable to produce a large number of paintings. The highest average prices for paintings by Kitty Kantilla have been for works that were created during the last four yeas of her life. The 1999 paintings that have sold achieved an average price twice that of works on canvas produced between 1995 and 1997. Her highest price was achieved for a work measuring 93 x 82 cm and created in 2001 which sold at Sotheby’s in July 2003 (Lot 87) for $67,475 while an equally large work created in 1998 (offered in June 2002 at Sotheby’s (Lot 30)) sold for $54,550. 2015 saw a work created in 1998 achieve her new second highest record. Sold from the Laverty Collection at Deutscher & Hackett it achieved $66,000 including buyer's premium during a year in which all 10 of the works on offer sold to eager buyers. Though her average price for the year was slightly lower than her career average, she was the 14th most successful artist that year compared to her overall career standing in 42nd place. In 2016 she was 31st but this was not good enough to improve her overall career ranking. Kantilla's works on canvas consistently exceeded their estimates until 2004, when the auction houses reappraised the values collectors were prepared to offer for her best quality works. The most graphic indication of this is exemplified by the resale of an untitled work created in 1997. Sold for a mere $3,220 in 1999, it went on to achieve $31,050 in 2004. However, despite the fact that the sale prices for Kitty Kantilla’s works have been rising over the years, it is surprising that a very interesting 2002 canvas, measuring 77 x 96 cm, failed to sell with an extremely reasonable estimate of only $25,000-35,000 (Lot 127) in Sotheby’s July 2006 auction. Kurlama (Yam) Ceremony in Rain, 1999 achieved just $33,600 when sold at Lawson~Menzies in March 2008 (Lot 246) after having first been purchased from the same auction house three years earlier for $40,800. The work had spent the intervening years touring regional galleries in the Masterworks from the Lawson~Menzies Collection exhibition and one would have expected that the additional provenance conferred would have seen this work sell for a premium. It was painted on a black ground and aesthetically it seems like the darker the overall effect of her artwork, the less favourably it is received. Conversely, the lighter the background and the finer the line work, the higher the value collectors have been prepared to pay. Perhaps the overly dark reproduction of this very painting in Sotheby’s July 2004 catalogue (Lot 50) deterred buyers when it first failed to sell with a $40,000-60,000 estimate; with a better enhanced illustration the following year it sold for $40,800 in the 2005 Lawson-Menzies May sale. After Kitty's retrospective held at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2007, 2008 was a good one for this artist. Of the eight works offered four achieved prices that well exceeded her career average. 2009 saw 14 works being offered, of which 11 sold for a total value of $137,760. Kulama (Yam) Ceremony in Rain 1999 sold for $31,200 creeping into Kantilla’s top ten. 2010 brought equally consistent results, 11 of 15 works sold for a total value of $121,579 and a new record was set at sixth place. However this work had been offered three times over the previous five years, and is recorded as the artist’s seventh, eighth and ninth record. Each successive sale has brought a small dip in value. The hype surrounding the artist’s retrospective may have generated heat, but as the years progress, sellers with high expectations have generally been disappointed. This trend is further illustrated in 2017, where, even though 11 out of the 15 works on offer sold, almost everty sale placed either at the lower end of the pre-sale estimate or below it altogether, resulting in an average price of $8,148. The saving grace of 2017 was an untitled work from 1997, selling for a very impressive $34,160 and placing 11th on her list of highes prices. Overall it is worth noting that Kitty Kantilla’s best works have yet to reach the secondary market. Anyone fortunate enough to have bought one of her later canvases with very fine lines and tiny dots on a white background may not wish to part with it unless increasing prices prove just too tempting. Her finest works of exquisite beauty, subtlety, and intricacy will always find an eager audience. Their beauty holds broad appeal for 'the freely drawn geometric patterns and planes, have an instinctive rightness that both invites and defies analysis' (McDonald 2003: 395). This was perhaps the case with the exquisite work that sold at Sotheby's June Auction in Melbourne in 2011 (Lot 72), creating her new fifth record, in an otherwise flat year. Pumpuni Jilamara 2002 could easily be attributed the praise bestowed upon Kantilla's best work, a few blocks of geometric shapes appear almost to float upon a fine sea of dots. Almost universally, works on paper attract far less value in the market than similar works in size and aesthetics on canvas or linen. Yet many of Kitty Kantilla’s very finest works were produced in this less lucrative medium where the vivaciousness and vitality of her art appears enlivened upon the paper’s surface. Collectors would be well advised to seek these out. Kantilla’s works on paper present a fortunate opportunity to own an inexpensive yet beautiful masterpiece, rather than settling for a more expensive, lesser work on canvas. Explore our artworks See some of our featured artworks below ANGELINA PWERLE NGAL - UNTITLED ( BUSH RAISIN MAN) Price AU$3,000.00 ALISON (JOJO) PURUNTATAMERI - WINGA (TIDAL MOVEMENT/WAVES) Out of stock LILY YIRDINGALI JURRAH HARGRAVES NUNGARRAYI - KURLURRNGALINYPA JUKURRPA Price From AU$13,500.00 BRONWYN BANCROFT - UNTITLED Out of stock JOSHUA BONSON - SKIN: A CELEBRATION OF CULTURE Price AU$8,500.00 BOOK - KONSTANTINA - GADIGAL NGURA Price From AU$99.00 FREDDIE TIMMS - MOONLIGHT VALLEY Price AU$35,000.00 NEIL ERNEST TOMKINS - BURN THERE, DON'T BURN THERE Price AU$7,000.00 SHOP NOW

Artist Profile for Lena Pwerle < Back Lena Pwerle Lena Pwerle ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE top Anchor 1 PROFILE Lena Pwerle ARTIST CV Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .

Balgo Horizons | Stories and Places Across Time Art Leven - 17 Thurlow St, Redfern, Gadigal / Sydney 1 - 22 February 2025 Balgo Horizons | Stories and Places Across Time 1 - 22 February 2025 Balgo Horizons | Stories and Places Across Time 1 - 22 February 2025 Art Leven - 17 Thurlow St, Redfern, Gadigal / Sydney From its beginnings, Balgo art has been celebrated for its daring use of colour, striking iconography, and dynamic, boundary-pushing styles. Early works often depicted ceremonial iconography and Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) stories, capturing the essence of Country and the journeys of ancestral beings. These paintings were deeply rooted in cultural knowledge, acting as both a visual language and a connection to the artists’ homelands. From very early on, Balgo artists have seemed to veer comfortably in and out of abstraction, while still allowing space to employ the traditional iconographic elements. This resulted in the development of an extremely diverse mix of styles. To this day, Warlayirti Artists studios continue to play host for a wide range of artistic styles and voices, making diversity of style a timeless theme. "Dotting used to highlight the content in Balgo paintings, the Kuruwarri, [the sacred design associated with ‘traditional iconography] bringing an optical dynamism to painted forms. Over time it has pulled away from those forms, and seemingly become the content itself." (p. 9) "Balgo Horizons" offers a glimpse into the history and evolution of one of Australia’s most vibrant artist communities. Made up of two parts, the exhibition consists of primary market artworks by the working painters of Warlayirti Artsists, as well as secondary market works from private collections representing the founding and early stages of the Balgo art movement. Originally, the concept was to juxtapose ‘the old’ and ‘the new’, expecting a clear contrast between the two (as one may see in the history of other communities such as Papunya wherein, for a multitude of reasons, the present abstract geometric style has all but entirely replaced the early representational imagery of the 70s). Quickly, however, it became clear that this narrative did not suit the works in“Balgo Horizons”. "The jukurrpa is not an enduring edifice, however much it is presented as such. It persists because it changes, or because it has always helped desert people make sense of change." (p. 361) As the movement developed through the 1990s and into the 21st century, Balgo artists began experimenting further with abstraction and technique, resulting in artworks that were more individualistic while remaining firmly grounded in cultural tradition. Colours became more vivid, compositions more innovative, and traditional imagery transformed into highly personal expressions of place and identity. On one hand, we have stylistic shifts that affect entire generations of artists. On the other hand, within a community that features so many disparate styles of painting, there are individual stylistic lineages that evolve separately, sometimes linking different generations of a single family. It is not just the Dreamings themselves that are inherited as is common in most communities, but the language to describe them. In this way, the ‘old’ feels ever-represented by Wartlayirti Artists. No memory is left behind, the horizon never out of reach. In the opening to his fantastic book ‘Balgo: Creating Country’, author John Carty presents us a key to begin understanding the meaning of a painting by Elizabeth Nyumi: "It means everything. Literally, everything. It is not a retelling of a Dreamtime story. It is not a picture of a place, or a representation of it. It is Country. Balgo artists don't say 'this is a painting of my Country': they say that the painting is their Country." (p.1) John Carty; Balgo: Creating Country, UWA Publishing Request a Catalogue RSVP Opening LUCY YUKENBARRI NAPANANGKA - UNTITLED Sold AU$20,000.00 ELIZABETH NYUMI NUNGURRAYI - UNTITLED Sold AU$6,000.00 SUSIE BOOTJA BOOTJA - KANINGARRA price AU$5,500.00 NINGIE NANGALA - UNTITLED price AU$3,800.00 BOXER MILNER TJAMPITJIN - WINDJAREE price AU$3,500.00 EUBENA NAMPITJIN - CANNING STOCK ROUTE, W.A. price AU$2,200.00 IMELDA (YUKENBARRI) GUGAMAN - WINPURPURLA Sold AU$0.00 SUSIE BOOTJA BOOTJA - UNTITLED price AU$7,500.00 ELIZABETH NYUMI NUNGURRAYI - UNTITLED Sold AU$6,000.00 FRANCES ANN NOWEE - NYNMI Sold AU$4,800.00 SAM TJAMPITJIN - TWO LARGE CLAYPANS price AU$3,600.00 BAI BAI NAPANGARTI - UNTITLED Sold AU$3,000.00 NINGIE NANGALA - WALUPARN price AU$1,800.00 WINIFRED NANALA - WILKINKARRA Sold AU$0.00 BOXER MILNER TJAMPITJIN - DJARINGARRA price AU$6,000.00 BOXER MILNER TJAMPITJIN - UNTITLED Sold AU$6,000.00 IMELDA (YUKENBARRI) GUGAMAN - WINPURPURLA Sold AU$4,400.00 MICK GILL - ARTISTS'S COUNTRY price AU$3,500.00 BAI BAI NAPANGARTI - LUMUNBUNDA price AU$2,500.00 CARMEL YUKENBARRI - WINPURPURLA Sold AU$1,400.00 MUNTJA NUNGURRAYI - COLLECTING BUSH FRUIT Sold AU$0.00 EXbalgo