Angkaliya Curtis facts for kids

Angkaliya Curtis, born around 1928, is an amazing Aboriginal artist from Australia. She is well-known for her paintings of animals that live in the central Australian desert.

Angkaliya Curtis's Early Life

Angkaliya was born around 1928 in a place called Miti, in north-western South Australia. Her family belongs to the Pitjantjatjara people. They used to live a traditional nomadic life. This means they often walked long distances to find food and water in the Great Victoria Desert.

While living in the bush, Angkaliya learned many important things. Her mother and grandmother taught her about the sacred law of the land. They also shared stories about the Dreamtime and her family's spiritual ancestors. She learned about bush food and traditional healing methods. Angkaliya also learned how to make traditional crafts. She made ceremonial belts and manguṟi (head rings). She did this by spinning hair using a hand-made spindle.

When Angkaliya was a child, she traveled with her mother. They went to what is now Watarru, which was her mother's homeland. Her family lived for a while on cattle stations. Later, they settled at the mission in Ernabella. When she grew older, Angkaliya married a man named Bill. She worked at Ernabella spinning wool and making rugs.

In the 1960s, she moved back west, closer to her homeland. This happened when a new community, called an outstation, was set up at Amaṯa. Today, Angkaliya lives in Nyapari.

Angkaliya Curtis's Artwork

Angkaliya Curtis is most famous for her acrylic paintings. However, she also continues to make traditional handicrafts. She creates beautiful grass baskets and wooden carvings. The most common motif in her paintings are animals. Her artworks are special because she uses colours in a very gentle way. This makes her work stand out from other artists in her area.

Her art has been shown in exhibitions all over Australia since 2007. Her paintings were first shown internationally in 2010. This exhibition took place in San Sebastián, Spain. You can see examples of her paintings in many important galleries. These include the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, the National Gallery of Victoria, the National Gallery of Australia, and the Australian National University.

Angkaliya Curtis was a finalist for the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award in both 2010 and 2011. She was also one of 16 finalists for the Western Australian Indigenous Art Award in 2011.