This pot is a group self-portrait of the Hermannsburg Potters, a collective of highly respected senior women artists of the Western Arrarnta (Arrernte) community. Through their vibrant hand-built, hand-painted terracotta pots, they tell stories of the local wildlife, Country and everyday life, reflecting their cultural beliefs and traditions. Although each of the artists has an individual style and approach, for this commission they worked together to create a self-portrait. The potters themselves are pictured on the sides of the pot, represented through their intricate connections with Country, including plants and animals, Ancestors (Albert Namatjira is there), and a Dreamtime story (the mother and her twins).
Ntaria (Hermannsburg) is a former Lutheran mission located 130 km west of Mparntwe (Alice Springs) in the Northern Territory. Hermannsburg Potters was established in 1990 several years after the land was returned to the traditional Arrarnta owners. Since then, Hermannsburg Potters has thrived, becoming a source of revenue for the community and an important form of traditional and contemporary expression for the local people. Hermannsburg pots have been widely exhibited and represented in national and international collections.
Commissioned 2009
© Hermannsburg Potters Aboriginal Corporation
The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the
Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a
Reproduction request. For further information please contact
NPG Copyright.
