Born 1975
Region Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Community Utopia, NT
Language Anmatyerre

Charmaine Pwerle is an Anmatyerre artist from the Utopia region of Central Australia, continuing one of the country’s most celebrated artistic lineages. She is the daughter of acclaimed artist Barbara Weir and the granddaughter of Minnie Pwerle, and grew up surrounded by influential Aboriginal artists whose cultural knowledge and artistic traditions have shaped her practice.

Drawing on stories and ceremonial knowledge passed down through her family, Charmaine is best known for her expressive interpretations of Awelye (Women’s Ceremony). Her paintings are characterised by confident brushwork, flowing line and dynamic movement, creating works that are both deeply rooted in tradition and unmistakably contemporary.

After spending her childhood between Utopia, Alice Springs and Adelaide, Charmaine returned to her homelands, where she further immersed herself in ceremony, language and cultural learning under the guidance of her mother and grandmothers. These experiences continue to inform her artistic practice today.

Charmaine Pwerle has established herself as one of the leading artists of the younger Utopia generation. Her work has been exhibited widely throughout Australia and internationally, and is represented in significant public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria.

EXHIBITIONS
2019 Polly Ngale & Charmaine Pwerle, Harvey Galleries, Sydney
2019 International Women’s Day, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2019 defining tradition | the colourists, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2018 A New Tradition, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2018 Delmore Gallery: Utopia Women, Merricks Art Gallery, Victoria,Australia
2018 Paddington Art Prize – Finalist
2018 Spring Colours, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2018 Earth’s Creation, Emily Kame and Family, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2018 Utopia Women, Merricks Art Gallery, Merricks, VIC
2018  Delmore Gallery: Utopia Women, Merricks Art Gallery, Victoria,Australia
2017 Atnwengerrp Revisited, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2017 Sacred Marks, JGM Gallery, London
2017  Utopia: the artists of Delmore Downs, Yaama Ganu Gallery, Moree
2017 Utopia: the artists of Delmore Downs, Yaama Ganu Gallery, Moree
2016 Winter Salon, Whistlewood, Shoreham, VIC
2015 Sixteen Artists, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle
2015 Awelye, ARTMOB, Hobart
2015 Alpitye Art Studio, Alice Springs
2014 Far North-Great South, Le Mans Contemporary Arts (MAC), Collegiate
Church of St Pierre La Cour, Paris, France
2012 Little Gems, Japingka Gallery, WA
2012 Heirs and Successors, Japingka Gallery WA

COLLECTIONS
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne