Thea Anamara PERKINS, Atherreyurre (01.20.23), 2023, Time-lapse animation film, 15 minutes, Edition 3/10. Purchased for Boola Katitjin in 2023, Murdoch University Art Collection.
Boola Katitjin: Level 2, Student Hall (on rotation)
Thea Anamara PERKINS
Born 1992, Sydney, New South Wales
Lives and works in Sydney, New South Wales
Thea Anamara Perkins is an Arrernte and Kalkadoon artist whose practice incorporates portraiture and landscape to question representations of First Nations peoples and Country.
Thea’s middle name Anamara is an Arrernte word that describes a river and a Dreaming that runs north of Mparntwe (Alice Springs). This place has been the wellspring of art and activism for generations of her family, including activist Charles Perkins (her grandfather), Arrernte elder Hetti Perkins (her great-grandmother), curator Hetti Perkins (her mother) and acclaimed film director Rachel Perkins (her aunt).
Atherreyurre (01.20.23) is a time-lapse animation film featuring 10 paintings by Thea which document the daily cycle of the sun rising and setting over The Old Telegraph Station outside Mparntwe (Alice Springs). Over the course of the film, each painting morphs into the next using AI technology. Accompanying the animation is audio recorded at the site. This subtle recording includes bird caws, rain, and thunder. The resulting work is a beautiful and meditative depiction of her Country.