APY Gallery Sydney
BIG SISTER, LITTLE SISTER —
SEVEN SISTERS GROUP
EXHIBITION
May 2024
APY Gallery Sydney is proud to present Big Sister, Little Sister - a Group Exhibition of emerging and mid career artists painting the Seven Sisters Story.
Featuring Jennifer Ingkatji, Ken Sisters Collaborative, Maringka Tunkin, Helen Curtis, Ingrid Treacle, Freda Brady, and Sandra Ken.
The Seven Sisters story has always been important for Anangu women and it is more important today than ever before. It is a story that celebrates women’s leadership and is taught to every Anangu child.
This story is an important Tjukurpa (creation and cultural story) for the region and tells of seven sisters who are chased across Country by a bad man named Wati Nyiru. Throughout the ordeal, the oldest sister protects and teaches the younger sisters and keeps them from falling for his tricks. Anangu women respect Elders, like the oldest sister from the story.
The Seven Sisters story teaches women about the importance of respecting the women who came before you. The women with expertise and experience. This is the oldest sister, and her leadership guided the other sister away from the dangers of the world. The oldest sister made sure that the seven sisters stayed together and that no one was left behind. The oldest sister protected everyone and made sure all the women were safe. This was the oldest sister’s story, and it is the story of all Aboriginal women leaders in Australia today. The women stayed together, and the oldest sister ran with the young women escaping the dangers – she showed them how to escape by running into the night sky.This exhibition is a celebration of the older sisters and the young sisters. This story is as relevant today as it was for our mothers and grandmothers and the generations before us. They supported us, and now we do the same. This is the power of women leaders. We can make all the women coming behind us fly.
— Nyunmiti Burton, APY Studio artist and former Vice Chairperson of NPY Women’s Council
