Yaritji Young facts for kids
Yaritji Young (born around 1956) is an important Pitjantjatjara woman artist. She comes from a place called Pukatja in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in Australia. She now lives in a homeland called Rocket Bore, which is north of Amata.
Yaritji Young is known for her art and for helping to keep her people's culture and traditions strong. This is a big part of her art. Many of her paintings are about the Tjala (Honey Ant) Dreaming stories. She often works with her sisters, and together they are known as 'The Ken Sisters Collaborative'. Their art has become famous around the world and has won many big awards.
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About Yaritji Young and Her Art
Yaritji Young was born in the bush, near a creek, in Pukatja. Her parents are Mick Wikilyire and Paniny Mick. She went to school in Amata, where she first learned how to make baskets. This was her very first type of art.
Starting Her Painting Career
In the year 2000, Yaritji Young started painting at Tjala Arts. This is an art center that helps Aboriginal artists. Most of her paintings are inspired by the Tjala (Honey Ant) Dreaming. These are ancient stories about the honey ant. She also includes stories from the Inma and Tjukurpa Dreaming.
Yaritji Young explains her art by saying:
"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
Other Artistic Work
Besides painting, Yaritji Young has also worked with Tjanpi Desert Weavers. She is a textile artist, which means she creates art using fabrics and weaving. She is known for making fun and creative woven sculptures, like small trucks and camp dishes.
Solo Exhibitions and Collections
Yaritji Young is a very successful artist on her own. After showing her work in many group exhibitions, she had her first solo art show in 2017. It was called 'Yaritji Young: Walytjapitiku Laina - Family Lines' and was held at the Alcaston Gallery in Melbourne. She had two more solo shows there in 2018 and 2019. Her individual artworks are also kept in 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
Yaritji Young also creates art 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, they often paint on the same canvas. Sometimes they paint at the same time, and sometimes one after the other. Their shared artworks often focus on stories and subjects that are important to their family and their heritage.
In 2018, the Ken Sisters won the People's Choice award at the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. They won with a large painting called 'Seven Sisters'. This painting tells a Tjukurpa story about the Pleiades star cluster, which represents the sisters, and the Orion constellation, which represents a man. The story is about the sisters trying to get away from the man and protect each other.
The 'Seven Sisters' painting also won the 2019 Wynne Prize, which is a major art award in Australia.
See also
- Art of Australia
