Bush Turkey Dreaming by Genevieve Loy, 41x41cm

Bush Turkey Dreaming – Genevieve Kemarre (Kamara) Loy

The linear markings in this painting symbolise the body paint designs worn during ceremonies for the Bush Turkey Dreaming, a sacred Alyawarre Dreaming story that she shares with her father, Cowboy Louie Pwerle. On a deeper level, her artworks symbolise the women’s ceremonies connected to this Dreaming, capturing the spiritual and physical journey of the Bush Turkey within the landscape.

This Dreaming originates from Eastern Anmatyerr Country, located west of the Sandover River. The Bush Turkey ( Ardeotis australis ) holds great ceremonial importance and is often honoured through dance, song cycles, and storytelling

Genevieve Kemarre Loy, born in 1982 in the Utopia community of Central Australia, carries forward a rich artistic and cultural legacy. As the daughter of renowned artists Cowboy Louie Pwerle (dec.) and Carol Kunoth, she was immersed in the world of painting from a young age. She inherited not only artistic guidance but also a deep understanding of her Dreamings and cultural responsibilities from her extended family that includes some of the most celebrated names in Indigenous Australian art, such as her sister through kinship, Abie Loy Kemarre, and her maternal grandmother, Nancy Kunoth Petyarre, one of the famous Petyarre sisters of Utopia.

In 2023, Genevieve won the National Capital Art Prize – First Nations Category, cementing her place as an emerging leader in contemporary Indigenous art.