Renita Stanley — 'Minyma Kutjara Wingellina', 2025

This is the story of the older sister going a long way to get her younger sister and bring her back. They went through many places on the way, but I will only talk about a short bit of their journey at Wingellina. Two women who both came from up north and stayed a while. They both could see that Docker River was close. And as they were sitting there they performed ceremony, Inma. After they both threw away their weapons, they threw them away. Their head-rings, they threw away their head-rings. Then they got up and left. They went to another place, a hollow called Kantarangkutjara and then they travelled on to Docker River. The story of their travels after Docker River belongs to the Docker River people and others in distant country. "My part of the story is short." - Renita Stanley.

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Community: Ernabella (Pukatja), SA

Renita was born in Ernabella and has lived there all her life. She attended the mission school and on leaving she followed her mother, Tjariya, into the craft room. The oldest of five children, Renita and her siblings spent much of their time growing up out at their parents’ homeland, Tjalyritja, in times when the homeland (outstation) movement was still strong. Renita has one son, Ngunytjima, who worked in the ceramics studio.

Renita has travelled overseas and participated in batik workshops in Indonesia. She has exhibited widely around Australia, in the mediums of batik, painting and ceramics. Renita’s distinctive artwork draws from traditional mark making while being her own visual interpretation of her stories. Renita is a distinguished artist whose work has been acquired by galleries across Australia and overseas, including National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and National Museum of Scotland. Renita has been the Chairperson of Ernabella Arts and also the Anangu Mayatja.

As well as her full-time arts career, Renita is strongly involved with the church and Ernabella Choir, in particular the singing of hymns in Pitjantjatjara at regular gatherings at Ernabella. She has written and recorded her own songs and is a keyboardist. Renita was amongst the new and younger choir members who travelled to Adelaide to perform as part of the 2004 Festival. Renita sings in the 2011 ABC TV documentaries, ‘No Ordinary Mission’ and ‘Nothing Rhymes with Ngapartji’. In 2012 she was in the stage show of ‘Ngapartji Ngaprtji’ at Canberra Playhouse Theatre.

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Iriwi Arts Centre and Craft Victoria 

Iwiṟi was established by Aṉangu in 2018, many of whom had been forced to move to Adelaide due to chronic health conditions and lack of services in their home communities. Living far from their traditional homelands, Anangu were concerned about the cultural and social isolation they were experiencing and saw a need to act.  Iwiri was formed initially to help retain, promote and transmit Anangu culture and language through the areas of arts, language, knowledge and community. Since then Iwiṟi has grown rapidly into an organization that delivers a range of programs that aim to strengthen and advance Aṉangu wellbeing.

Iriwi's Artists range from highly experienced elders and knowledge custodians through to younger emerging artists. Iwiri studio is used by Anangu artists living in Adelaide as well as artists from the APY lands who are visiting for health or social reasons. The Art Studio has a strong ceramics and painting program and is experimenting with textiles.

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Material: Clay sculptural vessel

Dimensions:  275 x 110 x 110mm

Cat. no: 25-268