Evelyn Pultara | 'Bush Yam, 2020' | 92x153cm

Code: PPFAEP987

Artist: Evelyn Pultara

Title: Bush Yam

Area: Utopia

Community: Anmatyerre

Size: 92x153cm

Year: 2020

Evelyn Pultara's Bush Yam paintings carry the Atnwelarre, or Pencil Yam, Dreaming, the sacred plant totem she shares with her sister artists and her aunt Emily Kame Kngwarreye. This creeping vine, with its yellow flowers and long underground tubers, has fed her family's country, Alhalkere, for generations. Her paintings trace the hidden root systems beneath the ground, lines that tangle, surface and disappear again, echoing the movements of the Yam Corroborree, the ceremonial dance that recounts this story.

DOB: c. 1940 Born: Woodgreen Station, Utopia, NT LANGUAGE GROUP: Anmatyerre COMMUNITY: Utopia, NT Evelyn Pultara is a senior Anmatyerre artist and highly respected cultural custodian from the Utopia region in the Northern Territory. Born around 1940 at Woodgreen Station, near Utopia, Evelyn comes from a distinguished lineage of artists and ceremonial leaders. Her aunt was the internationally acclaimed Emily Kame Kngwarreye, and she is the sister of renowned artists Greeny Purvis Petyarre. She is also half-sister to Jeannie, Rosemary, Dolly and Gloria Mills Petyarre. Together, they share the Atnwelarre (Pencil Yam) Dreaming, a profound ancestral narrative tied to their country, Alhalkere. Although Evelyn began painting later in life, in 1997, she rapidly established herself as a sought-after artist with a distinctive voice. Her early works depicted Awelye (women's ceremonial body paint designs) and traditional bush foods, but she soon focused solely on the Atnwelarre Dreaming, her sacred plant totem and cultural responsibility. This creeping vine, with its yellow flowers and long edible tubers, has sustained her people for generations and is central to the stories and ceremonies she carries. Through her paintings, Evelyn honours the spirit of the yam and the ancestral beings who shaped her land and culture. Evelyn's work is characterised by intricate, flowing lines and organic compositions that convey the underground root systems of the yam plant. These rhythmic designs mirror the movements and energy of the Yam Corroborree, a ceremonial performance of song and dance that recounts the Dreaming. While Evelyn herself is quiet and reserved, her husband Clem, also an artist, often helps share the cultural context through performance and storytelling. In 2005, Evelyn was awarded first prize in the General Painting category at the 22nd Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA), Australia's most prestigious Indigenous art award, cementing her place among the country's leading contemporary artists. Her work has been exhibited extensively, both nationally and internationally, including solo exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne, and Milan. Evelyn's paintings are held in major public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, and the Holmes à Court Collection. Through her art, she continues to uphold the sacred knowledge and Dreaming of her ancestors, creating a powerful visual legacy rooted in Country, ceremony, and kinship.