Abie Loy is part of the new generation of artists from the Utopia community, deep in the Australian desert. She began painting in 1994 on the advice of her grandmother, the renowned Kathleen Petyarre, who guided her in her early works, inspired by the “dreams” of which she is the ritual guardian.
“Bush Leaves” was inspired by religious imperatives: this plant is linked to a sacred territory for which Abie Loy and her family are responsible. By depicting it, she demonstrates her ritual “ownership” of the site where the plant grows; she fulfills a duty of remembrance since it was her ancestors who created the place. The plant, which thrives in the summer, is also a symbol of fertility in a region with a generally arid climate.
This painting bears witness to the reality of this fertility and thus ensures its future.
