Prudence Andy, Seven Sisters, 105x45cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Prudence Andy
• Community - Ernabella
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Iwiri Arts 
• Catalogue number - 308-22
• Materials - Acrylic paint on canvas
• Size(cm) - H105 W45 D2
• Postage variants - Artwork posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

This painting is about the constellation of Orion and Pleiades. The sisters are the Pleiades constellation and Orion is said to be a bad man. Wati Nyiru is forever chasing the sisters. According to the story, the seven sisters travel again and again from the sky to the earth to escape the persistent and unwanted attentions of Wati Nyiru. They turn into their human form to hide, but he always finds them and they flee back to the sky. As Wati Nyiru is chasing the sisters he tries to catch them by using magic to create the most tempting kanpur arora (bush tomatoes) for the sisters to eat and the most beautiful Ili (fig) tree for them to camp under. The sisters however, are too clever for Wati Nyiru and outwit him. They go hungry and run through the night rather than be caught by him. Every now and again one of the women would fall victim to his ways. It is said that he eventually captures the youngest sister, but with the help of the oldest sister, she escapes back to her sisters who are waiting for her. Eventually, the sisters fly back into the sky to escape Wati Nyiru, reforming the constellation.

Prudence Andy was born in Perth and grew up in Warburton, Fregon, and Ernabella. Prudence paints the Seven Sisters Tjukurpa(Dreaming), it is her great, great-grandmother's Dreaming and her mother's country. The Seven Sisters Dreaming is also her paternal grandmother's Tjukurpa.

Iwiṟi was established by Aṉangu in 2018, many of whom had been forced to move to Adelaide due to chronic health conditions and lack of services in their home communities. Living far from their traditional homelands, Anangu were concerned about the cultural and social isolation they were experiencing and saw a need to act.  Iwiri was formed initially to help retain, promote and transmit Anangu culture and language through the areas of arts, language, knowledge and community. Since then Iwiṟi has grown rapidly into an organization that delivers  a range of programs that aim to strengthen and advance Aṉangu wellbeing.

Iwiri strengthens the Aṉangu community through cultural and arts activities, creating employment opportunities and enterprise development. We want our young people to be strong in their language and culture and to take up opportunities to work in our community.

All paintings come with a certificate of authenticity provided by the community-run Aboriginal Art Centre, not us, which is the gold standard for ethical purchasing and documentation.

We take great pride in offering high-quality, authentic Aboriginal Art pieces to you and in addition to our 120-day returns(they don't come back), we are pleased to offer a lifetime money-back authenticity guarantee to all customers who purchase Aboriginal Art from us, both past and present.

This guarantee covers any disrepute or wrongdoing in association with the authenticity of any Aboriginal artwork ever sold by ART ARK®. We understand that purchasing authentic Aboriginal Art is important to you, and we want to provide you with peace of mind in knowing that you are getting what you expect.

We take the authenticity of Aboriginal Art seriously and are committed to providing you with high-quality and genuine works of art. If at any time you have any concerns whatsoever about the authenticity of any art piece, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will investigate further. If we find any wrongdoing or disrepute in regards to the provenance or authenticity of any artwork sold by us we will promptly provide a full refund to you at any time in the future, be it in one year, or in ten!

Please find more information on authenticity here: https://artark.com.au/pages/aboriginal-art-authenticity

All of our Desert Paintings, with the exception of the Stretched Desert Paintings Collection, are sent rolled.

Sending paintings rolled is the best option for their safe arrival and allows us to include free shipping, provide timely service, and maintain consistent and transparent pricing relating to the prices set by each Aboriginal Art centre.

The size of the painting listed relates to the painted surface. There is also a painted edge(2cm) and additional canvas for stretching.

A local framer will easily stretch the work for you at a nominal cost. Framers are everywhere and there is likely one just up the road. We recommend choosing one with good reviews and if you call ahead you will generally get a better-quoted price than if you turn up, painting in hand.

Please find further details and examples relating to framing here: https://artark.com.au/pages/how-to-frame-your-aboriginal-art