Thea Anamara Perkins Rachel

Thea Anamara Perkins’s subject is her aunt Rachel Perkins. ‘I wanted to paint her to acknowledge what she’s done for our country as a filmmaker. It is difficult to articulate the hard truths of our history,’ says the Sydney artist.

‘In recent years, she’s been documenting our Arrernte women’s heritage. The designs I painted on her skin belong to a public women’s ceremonial song, shared with us by our senior knowledge-holder, MK Turner OAM. It translates as:

Because I am a woman I shimmer
The spirit is standing with me in the sky
I stand in the midst of the dreaming
We glitter like in a dream
Someone strong is holding (the ceremonial object)
Holding it in the middle of the sky

‘This resonated deeply with me as a powerful, joyful assertion of the incredible matriarchy in our culture, our dreaming, as well as melding beautifully with the contemporary experience of a First Nations person on the journey to preserve our dynamic culture. I hoped to capture this energy in the portrait, as well as something of Aunty Rachel’s character in her expression: a pensive, steely gaze floating over deep waters.’