Doreen Reid Nakamarra
Encyclopedia
Doreen Reid Nakamarra was an Australia
n Aboriginal
artist
and painter
. Reid was considered an important artist within the Western Desert cultural bloc
. She was a leading painter at the Papunya Tula
artist cooperative
in Central Australia
.
Reid was born in Mummine near Warburton, Western Australia in the mid-1950s. In 1984 she settled at a new community Kiwikurra, approximately 600 km west of Alice Springs with her husband, George Tjampu Tjapaltjarri who subsequently established himself as a Papunya Tula painter. In 2007, Reid's work was displayed at the National Gallery of Australia
's Culture Warriors exhibition
in 2007. The exbibit, including Reid's pieces, toured Australia state galleries before opening at the Katzen Arts Center
in Washington D.C. in September 2009.
Additionally, Reid's work was featured at the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art in 2009. She was awarded the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award general painting prize in 2008 for an untitled work. The work depicts designs associated with the Marrapinti rockhole site, west of the Pollock Hills in Western Australia.
In September 2009, Reid travelled to New York City
for the opening of a Papunya Tula
art exhibition
which included her work. The New York exhibition was opened by Hetti Perkins, the curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales
in Sydney
.
On 18 October 2009, Reid was admitted to the hospital for treatment of pneumonia
. She was flown from Alice Springs to Adelaide
, where she died in the hospital on 20 October 2009, at the age of 50.
Paul Sweeney, the general manager of Papunya Tula, praised Reid as an important artist and spokesperson.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. Reid was considered an important artist within the Western Desert cultural bloc
Western Desert cultural bloc
The Western Desert cultural bloc or just Western Desert is a cultural region in Australia covering about 600,000 square kilometres, including the Gibson Desert, the Great Victoria Desert, the Great Sandy and Little Sandy Deserts in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia...
. She was a leading painter at the Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula, or Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, is an artist cooperative formed in 1972 that is owned and operated by Aboriginal people from the Western Desert of Australia. The group is known for its innovative work with the Western Desert Art Movement, popularly referred to as "dot painting"...
artist cooperative
Artist cooperative
An artist cooperative is an autonomous visual arts organization, enterprise, or association jointly-owned and democratically-controlled by its members. Artist cooperatives are legal entities organized as non-capital stock corporations, non-profit organizations, or unincorporated associations...
in Central Australia
Central Australia
Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...
.
Reid was born in Mummine near Warburton, Western Australia in the mid-1950s. In 1984 she settled at a new community Kiwikurra, approximately 600 km west of Alice Springs with her husband, George Tjampu Tjapaltjarri who subsequently established himself as a Papunya Tula painter. In 2007, Reid's work was displayed at the National Gallery of Australia
National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia is the national art gallery of Australia, holding more than 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Australian government as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :...
's Culture Warriors exhibition
Exhibition
An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within museums, galleries and exhibition halls, and World's Fairs...
in 2007. The exbibit, including Reid's pieces, toured Australia state galleries before opening at the Katzen Arts Center
Katzen Arts Center
The Katzen Arts Center is home to all of the visual and performing arts programs at American University and the American University Museum. Located at Ward Circle, the intersection of Nebraska Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue, the Center sits atop Embassy Row in Washington, DC, one of the highest...
in Washington D.C. in September 2009.
Additionally, Reid's work was featured at the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art in 2009. She was awarded the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award general painting prize in 2008 for an untitled work. The work depicts designs associated with the Marrapinti rockhole site, west of the Pollock Hills in Western Australia.
In September 2009, Reid travelled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for the opening of a Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula, or Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, is an artist cooperative formed in 1972 that is owned and operated by Aboriginal people from the Western Desert of Australia. The group is known for its innovative work with the Western Desert Art Movement, popularly referred to as "dot painting"...
art exhibition
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
which included her work. The New York exhibition was opened by Hetti Perkins, the curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of New South Wales
The Art Gallery of New South Wales , located in The Domain in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, was established in 1897 and is the most important public gallery in Sydney and the fourth largest in Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
On 18 October 2009, Reid was admitted to the hospital for treatment of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. She was flown from Alice Springs to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, where she died in the hospital on 20 October 2009, at the age of 50.
Paul Sweeney, the general manager of Papunya Tula, praised Reid as an important artist and spokesperson.