Artist

Kathleen Wallace

Location

Keringke Arts

Language Groups

Eastern Arrernte

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Kathleen Wallace
Eastern Arrernte born 1948
Irrernte-arenye (spirit figures) singing 1997
fabric dyes and metallic paint on silk
200.0 x 115.0 cm
Purchased, 1997
1997.313
© Kathleen Wallace/Licensed by VISCOPY, Australia

This exquisite design consists of a myriad of concentric circles in lime green, turquoise, mauve, red ochre, yellow and black.

The artist depicts irrernte-arenye (spirit figures), who live in the ground at Therirrerte, south of Santa Teresa.

Therirrerte, along with other sacred sites and special places throughout Eastern Arrernte country, is also home to the spirit figures called irrernte-arenye, a name which literally means 'belonging to the cold'.

Once living people, these ancestor spirits are said to live in a cold place. The irrernte-arenye look after the place where they live, watching out for and guiding the people from their families. They can get you lost if they don't know you, or if you don't belong to that place, but they will still look after you.

They can still be heard singing at Therirrerte and other sacred sites.