Yaritji Young facts for kids

Yaritji Young is an important Aboriginal artist from Australia. She was born around 1956 in a place called Pukatja, South Australia. She is a Pitjantjatjara woman who now lives in a homeland called Rocket Bore. Yaritji is dedicated to sharing her culture and traditions through her art. Most of her paintings tell stories from the Tjala (Honey Ant) Dreaming.

Yaritji often works with her sisters. Together, they are known as 'The Ken Sisters Collaborative'. Their artworks have become famous around the world and have won big awards.

Life and Art

Early Life and Starting Art

Yaritji Young's parents are Mick Wikilyire and Paniny Mick. She was born in the bush, near a creek, in Pukatja. She went to school in Amata. There, she first learned how to make baskets. This was her very first type of art.

In late 2000, Young started painting at Tjala Arts. This art center was then called Minymaku Arts. Her paintings mostly show stories from the Tjala (Honey Ant) Dreaming. She also includes stories from Inma and Tjukurpa Dreaming.

Yaritji says about her paintings:

"My paintings are of my country; my father's country, my grandmother's country, the tjala country. Everything that my grandmother taught me, I'm teaching to my children now. They dance because I have shared what I got from my grandmother with my granddaughters , so they can know their culture."

—Yaritji Young, Short Street Gallery

Young has also worked with Tjanpi Desert Weavers. She creates textile art with them. Her textile style is very creative and often funny. She is known for weaving small trucks and camp dishes.

Solo Exhibitions and Collections

Yaritji Young is a very successful artist on her own. After many group shows, she had her first solo exhibition. It was called 'Yaritji Young: Walytjapitiku Laina - Family Lines'. This show was at the Alcaston Gallery in Melbourne in 2017. She had two more solo shows at the same gallery in 2018 and 2019. Her individual artworks are also kept in many important art collections. These include the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Art Gallery of South Australia, and the Queensland Art Gallery.

The Ken Sisters Collaborative

Young also works with her sisters: Freda Brady, Maringka Tunkin, Sandra Ken, and Tjungkara Ken. Together, they are known as the Ken Sisters or the Ken Family Collaborative. When they work together, the sisters paint on a canvas. Sometimes they paint at the same time. Other times, they paint one after another. They focus on subjects that are important to their family and shared culture.

In 2018, the sisters won the People's Choice award. This was at the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. Their painting was six square meters large and called 'Seven Sisters'. It tells a Tjukurpa story about the stars. It is about the Pleiades (the sisters) and Orion (a man). The story shows the sisters trying to run away and protect each other.

The 'Seven Sisters' painting also won the 2019 Wynne Prize.

See also

• Art of Australia