Lindsay Bird Mpetyane
NT c.1935
Untitled 1993
Acrylic on linen
172.5 x 485.5 cm
BCEC Art Collection
Lindsay Bird Mpetyane was a senior Anmatyerre artist from the Utopia region of Central Australia, whose paintings translate ceremonial knowledge and Country into powerful compositions. In 1977 he was introduced to painting on silk and was the only male artist working in batik as part of the art movement at Utopia, which included celebrated artists including Emily Kngwarray, Gloria Petyarr and Minnie Pwerle.
In the 1980s Bird Mpetyane moved to painting on canvas and became one of the leading painters from the eastern region of central Australia. His works are prime examples of the Anmatyerre painting traditions, where rhythmic repetition and symmetry are prized over optical plays or raw dynamism. Lindsay Bird Mpetyane painted designs associated with Dreaming stories such as Bush Plum, Mulga Seed, Snake and Men’s Ceremony.