BORN: c 1954
LANGUAGE GROUP: ANMATYERRE
REGION: ATNWENGERRP, UTOPIA- NORTHERN TERRITORY
Born circa 1954 in the artistically rich community of Utopia, Betty Mbitjana is the daughter of renowned artist Minne Pwerle.
She is married to Paddy Club.
She paints the Awelye, which refers to the Women’s Ceremonies and the Body paint they apply, also bush berry and bush plum dreaming.
The designs, painted by her mother, sisters and aunts have been passed down for many generations, and only the Pwerle or Kemarre owners can paint them.
Betty’s Awelye paintings depict the designs that the women would paint on their bodies, and the dancing lines, which are made in the sand during the ceremony. The Awelye ceremonies, women pay respect to their ancestors. These Ceremonial designs can be seen represented in Betty’s works on canvas, and also in the works of her mother, sisters, and aunts.
Ochre, charcoal and ash are all used to paint designs on the women’s upper bodies, and Pwerle women paint their upper torso, breasts and upper arms for Awelye in ochre, red and white.
Betty also paints the Bush Berry and Bush Plum. The berry is a form of bush tucker picked in times of scarcity, cut into pieces, skewered onto wood and dried to be eaten. Betty adopts a painting style similar to her mother, the late Minnie Pwerle to convey these dreaming’s.
Betty’s inclusion of her mothers dreaming in many of her artworks symbolises a deep respect for her culture and family.
Betty Mbitjana artworks are consistently growing in popularity, as she continues to attract attention with her energetic and colourful designs painted cleanly and evenly onto the canvas. As a result Betty’s artwork has become a valued entity in many private and public collections.