Freddy Ken paints his grandfather’s country in far west South Australia. He depicts kulata tjuta (many spears) travelling through the sky to catch wati wanampi (snake men). Those wati wanampi are moving fast through the sky. There was one woman waiting there with a baby and she said there was a wati who was nearby hiding in a bush, ready to duck down and go and then throw those spears.
When I was a young bloke I was working with cattle doing fencing, cattle pens, sometimes building houses, pipelines, working on the roads building the highway. I was working with dynamite and it was dangerous. I used to ride horses and sometimes bulls at the bronco rides.I started painting in Amata. Then I went out working in land management, looking after the country. Now I’ve come back to Ernabella to be with family and I’m painting again. I paint a lot of stories, lots of dancing. My father and my grandfather told me lots of stories, for a long time we have no TV. My country is sandhill country, it’s good country, little bit rough. My feeling is when the picture comes I have to paint it. These are stories from my memory, and from memory come pictures.
Desert Mob is presented annually in Mparntwe | Alice Springs on Arrernte Country.
On behalf of Desart’s staff and art centre members, the Executive Committee humbly and respectfully acknowledge the Arrernte Apmereke Artweye (Traditional Owners) and Kwertengerle (Traditional Managers) of Mparntwe.
Desart respectfully advises Aboriginal readers that this website may contain names, images and artworks of people who have passed away.
