Teresa Purla Anmatyerre, b. 1963

 

Teresa Purla is an Amatyerre speaker born in 1963 in Darwin. She is the daughter of Barbara Weir and the granddaughter of the late Minnie Pwerle, both famous artists of the Utopia region. She relates to the stories from her mother’s country, Atnwengerrp. Teresa spent much of her early life between Alice Springs, Darwin and the community of Papunya. However her schooling took her as far as Adelaide and Perth. Today she lives in the community of Atnwengerrp, on the Utopia homelands, north east of Alice Springs. Teresa began her painting career in 1990, under the tutelage of her mother Barbara. Her paintings are highly detailed, often multi- layered, and feature finely executed dot work that reflect the women's stories of her Anmatyerre people. Teresa Purla’s paintings have been exhibited in Sydney, Canberra, Victoria, Paris and Copenhagen.