Dream walking

Khatija Possum Nampijimpa is a standout in a proud and prominent family of leading Aboriginal artists, all of whom are descended from Clifford Possum, the founder of the Modernist Movement in Australia’s Central Desert. She learned to paint from her mother, Michelle Possum Nungurrayi, who learned from her father Clifford Possum. Ancestral influences are profound in everyday Aboriginal life.

 The Women’s Dreaming paintings by Khatija depicts Women’s ceremonial sites surrounding Tjukurla in the western desert of Central Australia – traditional homelands to the artist’s great grandmother. Ceremonial sites carry a deep spiritual meaning, and it is where the women narrate their sacred Aboriginal dreamtime stories, through song lines, dance cycles and body paint. This painting has many secret and sacred landmarks and iconography but also includes the important fire, bush tucker and waterholes that are imperative to the women as the ceremonies can last for over a week. Though primarily a landscape painting Khatija has surpassed the basic stories and landmarks and has expanded this art of body painting and ceremonial themes into a classic contemporary composition, using modern acrylic paints.