Bush Plum

Gracie Ngala (Pwerle) Morton is a senior Alyawarr artist, born around 1956 at Utopia in Central Australia. She is the daughter of Utopia artist Myrtle Petyarre and the sister of famous artists Gloria and Kathleen Petyarre. There is a rich artistic tradition that runs through Gracie’s family as well as the Utopia community. Not only Gracie’s aunties but her sisters, Mary, Rita and Elizabeth, are also artists. In her early years, like generations before her, Gracie lived a traditional lifestyle collecting bush foods and living off the land.She was to gain artistic recognition as one of the women artist working in batik as part of the CAAMA 88 ‘Utopia: a picture story’, a major work of 88 silk batiks that was acquired by the Robert Holmes à Court Collection.

As a senior traditional custodian of the Arnwekety (Bush Plum) Dreaming, and in accordance with traditional law, she is responsible for ensuring the Dreaming, customs and traditions associated with the Bush Plum are upheld. This responsibility was passed down to Gracie from her father and aunt. As such, Gracie’s primary subject in her artwork is Arnwekety and through her artwork she depicts the changing seasonal influences on the plant.

Gracie’s artworks are exhibited regularly around Asutralia, and she has been a part of international exhibitions in China, Germany, Italy and The Netherlands.