Jukuja Dolly Snell

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Jukuja Dolly Snell
Jukuja Dolly Snell.jpeg
Died30 December 2015
OccupationArtist
AwardsNational Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA)

Jukuja Dolly Snell (born c. 1933 - 30 December 2015) was an artist from Western Australia, who won the 2015 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.

Biography[]

Snell was born in 1933, near a jila called Kurtal.[1] Her father was Lawalawa, the custodian of Kurtal. A painting by Ngarralja Tommy May (2020 winner of the Telstra Award[2]) shows Lawalawa in death, left at a waterhole called Jitirr by his family as he was too weak to travel further.[3] In 2007, Snell painted Jitirr.[4]

After the death of her father, she and her mother moved around the region, visiting places which included Balgo, Warnku, Louisa Downs Station, Bohemia Downs Station and Christmas Creek Station.[5] They spoke the Wangkatjungka language.[1] In later life she remembered seeing a white man and a sheep for the first time.[6] The movement out of the desert by many became known as the Walmajarri diaspora.[7] Whilst she was working at the stations with her mother, she met her husband .[6] They were together for many years until they officially married in 1986 at Burawa Mission.[8] They had two children, Henry and Dorothy, as well as adopting the artist Lisa Uhl.[8] Dorothy went on to have eight children, who Dolly helped look after; these grandchildren referred to Dolly as the 'Kurtal Queen'.[8]

Artistic career[]

Snell began painting in the 1980s[9] as a result of Australian governmental investment in Aboriginal education. She was one of the founding members of Karrayili Adult Education Centre and later Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency.[8] Her influence was felt as she became known as one of the artists that shaped the surge in interest in Aboriginal art in the 1990s.[8]

Exhibitions[]

Snell's work was first shown in 1991 in Karrayili at Tandanya, Adelaide.[10] In 1993, her work was part of 'Images of Power: Aboriginal Art of the Kimberley' at the National Gallery of Victoria.[10] In 1994, her works displayed in 'This is my country', a Mangkaja Arts Group exhibition held at Artspace, Claremont, part of the Festival of Perth.[10] She was also part of the group of artists who painted the giant canvas Ngurrara II in 1997.[8][11] In 2007, she was part of an international group show in 2009 organised by , entitled 'Sitting Down with Jukuja and Wakarta'.[12] The artists worked alongside each other for three weeks, learning before presenting their work together.[13] Her first solo show was in Darwin in 2014 at the Outstation Gallery, and was called 'Kurtal: New Work by Dolly Snell'.[7][9]

In film[]

Snell featured in the 2015 documentary Putuparri and the Rainmakers, which was directed by . In it, her grandson Tom narrates the struggles of the people of the area to have their claim to their ancestral lands constituted.[14]

Telstra Award[]

In 2015, Snell was awarded the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award for her painting Kurtal, which depicts the place she was born.[9] Whilst painting Kurtal, Snell sang songs she was taught by her grandmother.[15] It took three weeks to paint.[15]

She was a leader of women's ceremonial law in the Wangkatjungka community.[10] She died on 30 December 2015 in Fitzroy Crossing.[16]

Themes[]

Snell's paintings revolve around themes close to the country around Kurtal. They include: the jila (waterhole), jilji (sandhills) and surrounding country in the Great Sandy Desert.[1] She also paints mangarri (bush tucker) and local plants.[1] Her work is known for its bright colours and bold style.[5]

Work in public collections[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Jukuja Dolly Snell | Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency Aboriginal Corporation". www.mangkaja.com. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  2. ^ Gooley, Cameron (7 August 2020). "Surprised Arnhem Land teenager, veteran Indigenous artist claim wins at 2020 NATSIAAs". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  3. ^ Australia, National Museum of (2007). "Lawalawa". National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b Australia, National Museum of (2007). "Jitirr by J D Snell". National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b Dias, Avani (7 August 2015). "Great-grandmother surprised to win national Indigenous art award". ABC News. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Canning Stock Route Project : Jukuja Dolly Snell". Canning Stock Route Project. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  7. ^ a b Kurtal: New Work by Dolly Snell (PDF). Outstation Gallery.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Jukuja Dolly Snell". Artlink Magazine. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  9. ^ a b c Spring, Alexandra (7 August 2015). "Western Australian artist Jukuja Dolly Snell wins national Indigenous art prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d "Dolly Snell Jukuja". www.aboriginaldream.com. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  11. ^ Australia, National Museum of (1 January 1996). "Ngurrara". National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  12. ^ Double desire : transculturation and indigenous contemporary art. McLean, Ian, 1952-. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 2014. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-4438-7133-4. OCLC 896794135.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  13. ^ Rothwell, Nicolas. (2011). Journeys to the interior (EasyRead large print ed.). [Sydney, N.S.W.]: Read How You Want. p. 281. ISBN 978-1-4587-8018-8. OCLC 765614745.
  14. ^ Dow, Steve (1 October 2015). "Putuparri and the Rainmakers – catching ceremony on camera to prove claim for country". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  15. ^ a b Taylor, Andrew (7 August 2015). "Eighty-two year old artist Jukuja Dolly Snell wins 'the Olympics of indigenous art'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  16. ^ "THE PASSING OF TWO GREAT LADIES at News Aboriginal Art Directory. View information about THE PASSING OF TWO GREAT LADIES". news.aboriginalartdirectory.com. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Living water, Kurtal, (1991) by Dolly Jukuja". www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  18. ^ Australia, National Museum of (1 January 2007). "Kartmarti". National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Jirtirr | Jukuja Dolly Snell~Wangkajunga | NGV | View Work". www.ngv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  20. ^ "Untitled | Jukuja Dolly Snell~Wangkajunga | NGV | View Work". www.ngv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  21. ^ "Kalpartujarra | Jukuja Dolly Snell~Wangkajunga | NGV | View Work". www.ngv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  22. ^ "ARTBANK : Dolly Jukuja Snell - Kurramurri". Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  23. ^ "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art | FUMA". Flinders University. Retrieved 6 March 2020.

External links[]

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