Gloria Petyarre was born in 1945. Her language is Anmatyerre and her country is Aknangkere. Gloria is one of seven sisters who are also artists, such as the well-known Kathleen Petyarre, Nancy Petyarre, Violet Petyarre and Ada Bird. Gloria's main Dreamings include Mountain Devil, Bush Medicine and Awelye Dreaming.

Gloria first gained recognition as an artist working in the medium of Batik, exhibiting with other Utopia women in shows around Australia and abroad from 1977 to 1987. In 1988 Gloria took up the medium of canvas and painted her first work for CAAMA ((The Central Australian Aboriginal Media Assoc.) in the exhibition titled 'Utopia Women's Painting; The First Works of Canvas; a Summer Project 1988 -1989. In 1990 she travelled to Ireland, London and India as a representative of the Utopia Women in Utopia, a picture story exhibition. In 1991 she had her first solo exhibition at Utopia Art in Sydney, and during the same year she had a solo exhibition at Australian galleries in New York. Throughout the 1990's her paintings were included in many important group exhibitions in Australia and overseas. Gloria received a Full Fellowship Grant from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board of the Australia Council and in 1999 she won the coveted Wynne Landscape Prize confirming her position as a talented and well-known Aboriginal artist. Gloria Petyarre is a dynamic force in Australian art. Throughout her career, Gloria has been an ambassador for the art of her region, and her style harnesses an existential exuberance, dynamism and brilliance. This coupled with her highly innovative and direct style has placed her in a unique position within the contemporary Aboriginal art movement.

Bush Medicine Dreaming
Bush Medicine depicts the leaves of a special plant that is used to aid in the healing process. The leaves are collected and then boiled to extract the resin. Following this, the resin is mixed with kangaroo fat collected from the kangaroo's stomach. This creates a paste that can be stored for up to six months in bush conditions. This medicine is used to heal cuts, wounds, bites, rashes and as an insect repellent. The dreaming that is the basis for Gloria Petyarre's paintings comes from the important ceremonies and traditions held by the people of Atnwengerrp. Each painting titled 'Bush Medicine Dreaming shows different aspects from the process and its important links with the land.

Mountain Devil Lizard
Mountain Devil Lizard tells the story of a very small lizard like creature that has the ability to change colour according to the landscape. This makes it very hard for predators to see it, as not only does the colour change but the actual pattern on the skin changes. The lizard also camouflages itself by carrying ochre particles on its back. This sacred lizard carries a Dreamtime story that is passed on from generation to generation and the swag like lump on its back represents the Dreamtime.

Selected Group & Solo Exhibitions

2005
Summer in the Desert, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney

2004
Petyarre Sisters, Indigenart, WA.

2003
New Works by Gloria Petyarre, Indigenart, WA
National Gallery of Victoria at Federation Square, Melbourne

2002
Gloria Petyarre - leaves & awelye, Utopia Art, Sydney
Crossroads: the Millennium Portfolio of Australian Aboriginal Prints, Singapore Art Museum
Leaves you thinking, World Vision of Australia, Walkabout Gallery, Sydney (solo)

2001
Dreamtime: the Dark and the Light, Kunst der Gegenwart, Vienna, Austria
Desert Flowering: Aboriginal Art from Private Collections, Manawatu Gallery, New Zealand
Seven Sisters Petyarre, Brisbane City Gallery

2000
The Australian Drawing Biennale, Drill Hall Gallery, The Australian National University ACT
Lines, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane
5th National Indigenous Heritage Art Award (Reconciliation Prize), Old Parliament House, Canberra
Paintings from Anungura, Utopia Art, Sydney (solo)

1999
Utopia: Ancient Cultures New Forms, Art Gallery of Western Australia, WA
Millennium Portfolio of Australian Aboriginal Artists, Sherman Galleries, Sydney
Petyarre Dreaming, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne
New Leaves, Utopia Art Sydney (solo)
Gloria Tamerre Petyarre: a survey exhibition, touring New England Regional Art Museum and Manly Art Gallery
Wildflowers, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, NT (solo)

1998
The Anangkere Growth Paintings, Chapman Gallery, Canberra (solo)
Gloria Tamerre Petyarre: a survey exhibition Campbelltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery
Utopia: Ancient Cultures New Forms, Gallery Petronis, Malaysia. (solo)

Selected collections
Allen, Allen & Hemsley
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Australian National Gallery
Baker-McKenzie
Campbelltown City Art Gallery
Flinders University, South Australia
Gold Coast City Art Gallery
Griffith University Collection
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
Museum of Victoria, Melbourne
National Gallery of Victoria
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
Queensland Art Gallery
Queensland University of Technology
Riddoch Art Gallery, S.A.
Supreme Court, Brisbane
The Robert Holmes a Court Collection
University of New South Wales
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, U.S.A.
Westpac, New York
James D. Wolfensohn Collection
Woollongong City Art Gallery
Woollongong University Collection
Macquarie Bank
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Singapore Art Museum
Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory
British Museum

Awards & Commissions
1999 Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of NSW
1994 Tapestry Commission for the Law Courts, Brisbane, Queensland
1993 Tapestry for Victorian Tapestry Workshop, Melbourne
1993 Mural for Kansas City Zoo, U.S.A.