Cynthia Burke - Warakurna Artists

Gallery 2

28 August – 30 September 2015

 

Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012037  |  acrylic on canvas  |  152 x 101 cm

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Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012044  |  acrylic on canvas  |  101 x 76 cm

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Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012046  |  acrylic on canvas  |  152 x 152 cm

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Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012041  |  acrylic on canvas  |  152 x 76 cm

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Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012035  |  acrylic on canvas  |  101 x 101 cm

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Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012040  |  acrylic on canvas  |  213 x 76 cm

Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012045  |  acrylic on canvas  |  101 x 51 cm

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Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012038  |  acrylic on canvas  |  76 x 76 cm

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Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012039  |  acrylic on canvas  |  152 x 76 cm

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Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012042  |  acrylic on canvas  |  101 x 76 cm

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Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012043  |  acrylic on canvas  |  101 x 36 cm

Turtiwa by Myra Yurtiwa Cook

Myra Yurtiwa Cook   |  Turtiwa

Jap 011887  |  acrylic on canvas  |  76 x 50 cm

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Tjukurla Pirni by Carol Maanyatja Golding

Carol Maanyatja Golding  |  Tjukurla Pirni

Jap 010922  |  acrylic on canvas  |  30 x 76 cm

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Ninu Tjukurrpa by Rosalie Richards

Rosalie Richards  |  Ninu Tjukurrpa

Jap 011890  |  acrylic on canvas  |  101 x 76 cm

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My Birthplace by Rosalie Richards

Rosalie Richards  |  My Birthplace

Jap 011891  |  acrylic on canvas  |  101 x 76 cm

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Walu Rockhole Dreaming by Carol Maanyatja Golding

Carol Maanyatja Golding  |  Walu Rockhole Dreaming

Jap 011888  |  acrylic on canvas  |  76 x 76 cm

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Lirrun by Myra Yurtiwa Cook

Myra Yurtiwa Cook  |  Lirrun

Jap 011885  |  acrylic on canvas  |  101 x 76 cm

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Kapitu Kapitu by Nancy Tjungupi Carnegie

Nancy Tjungupi Carnegie  |  Kapitu Kapitu

Jap 011892  |  acrylic on linen  |  102 x 102 cm

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Mina Mina by Nancy Tjungupi Carnegie

Nancy Tjungupi Carnegie  |  Mina Mina

Jap 011893  |  acrylic on canvas  |  100 x 75 cm

Tjukurla Pirni by Carol Maanyatja Golding

Carol Maanyatja Golding  |  Tjukurla Pirni

Jap 010921  |  acrylic on canvas  |  30 x 76 cm

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Kungkarrangkalpa by Winifred Wintiragu Richards

Winifred Wintiragu Richards  |  Kungkarrangkalpa

Jap 011889  |  acrylic on canvas  |  101 x 50 cm

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Landscape by Cynthia Burke

Cynthia Burke  |  Landscape

Jap 012036  |  acrylic on canvas  |  152 x 76 cm

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Lirrun by Myra Yurtiwa Cook

Myra Yurtiwa Cook  |  Lirrun

Jap 011886  |  acrylic on canvas  |  76 x 50 cm

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Cynthia Burke is a Ngaanyatjarra artist, painting at the Warakurna art centre located near the Rawlinson Ranges on the NPY Lands in Western Australia. Cynthia paints aspects of her traditional country showing the changes that unfold with the seasons and the stages that the country goes through during the year.

Cynthia works at Ngaanyatjarra Media and hosts a daily radio program in her local language. She absorbed some of her artistic style from her mother Jean Burke (1945 – 2013) who lived and worked alongside her uncle, famed artist Tommy Watson. Jean Burke said about her traditional country and her impulse to paint  ‘This is good country near Irrunytju- we want to go our grandmother’s and grandfather’s country. To the rockholes where they went, where they used to go around, rockhole to rockhole to get feed – hunt for kangaroos, emus, and goannas. Long time ago when piranpa wasn’t here.’

‘We want to do the paintings so we can teach the younger ones the old stories – so they can learn. If we finish, it’s their turn to do dot paintings, to tell the Dreamtime stories – keep the stories strong. That’s why we do the dot paintings, so they can say “That’s my country, that’s my mother’s country.” Like that.’

Cynthia Burke has a refined dot style that creates both the structural elements of her painting as well as the large blocks of colour created around the structural drawing. Cynthia’s paintings, although not directly telling Tjukurrpa or Law stories, do display a connection to the spirituality of the land of her forebears. Cynthia is one of the next generation of artists who are developing their careers in the NPY Lands, defining her style with great attention to detail and fine dot work.

Cynthia Burke says of her art practice – “Art is very important to me, I watched my mother all my life and I learnt how to make punu and painting. My mother also used to work for Warakurna Artists and art has played an important role in my life. I have worked really hard at taking what I learnt and developing my own style. I have been an artist for a long time, ever since I was watching and helping my mother, ever since I lived in Wingellina.”

“Exhibiting my art all over the world is important because I get to learn new things and show my work to a new audience. When I paint I make arial landscapes, like when you look out of the window of a plane. But I try to experiment with different colours and directions of the dots. I really think about the colours I choose and work with an idea of how it’s going to look at the end. All of my work is influenced by culture, country and what I have learnt from my family. I also made some new paintings using some metallic colours and worked really hard on making it my best. I also present a radio show every day for Ngaanyatjarra media, I make painting in the day when the art centre is open and at night in my home.” The exhibition ‘Cynthia Burke – Warakurna Artists’ also includes artworks by Carol Maayatja Golding and Myra Yurtiwa Cook, and will be open for viewing from 28 August until 30 September 2015. The exhibition is presented in association with Warakurna Artists.