Lena is a community elder and senior artist from Utopia, a community located 240 kilometres north east of Alice Springs known for its quality art.
Lena was involved in the Batik project of the 1970s, when Western craft practices and traditional Indigenous imagery were combined for the first time.
In 1996 she was invited to represent Australia in Western Samoa for the Festival of Pacific Arts where she was marked as ‘among the best available talent’. In this same year she also traveled to Indonesia with other women of Utopia for a workshop funded by the Northern Territory Department of Education so that they could learn more about the art of batik.
The majority of Lena’s works depict soakages, or waterholes, that are spread across her land. Her later works are characterised by the use of rich, vibrant colours.
Lena is a senior boss woman at Utopia and is on a number of government boards including the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (which protects the sacred sites within the NT) and the Urapuntja council which governs Utopia.
Lena greatly enjoys painting and encourages other members of her community to continue this tradition, and in doing so promote their culture.
EXHIBITIONS:
1985, The Second National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery on the Northern Territory, Darwin
1989, Utopia Women’s Paintings, the First Works on Canvas, A Summer Project 1988-89 S. H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
1990, ‘Utopia – A Picture Story’ an exhibition of 88 works on silk from the Holmes á Court Collection by Utopia artists which toured Eire and Scotland
1991, The Eighth National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
1992, Central Aboriginal Art and Craft Exhibition, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs
1994, Central Aboriginal Art and Craft Exhibition, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs
1999, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, N.T
2001, Mbantua Gallery, Alice springs, N.T
2002, Art and Soul Gallery in conjunction with Mbantua Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A
2002, New City Merchants in conjunction with Mbantua Gallery, Knoxville, Tennessee USA
2003, Art and Soul Gallery with Mbantua Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee USA
2003, Contemporary Aboriginal Art Event, Umpqua Bank with Mbantua Gallery, Portland, Oregon USA
2003, Art from the Dreamtime, Portland Art Museum with Mbantua Gallery, Portland, Oregon USA
Aug-Sep 2004, Mbantua Gallery USA exhibition; Hartford, Connecticut May-June 2005, ‘Small Wonders’ (A collection of 1’x1’ and 1’x1½’ paintings), Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, N.T
2004-2006, Evolution of Utopia, Mbantua Gallery Cultural Museum, Alice Springs
Aug 2009, Utopia Artists in the 21st Century, Mbantua Gallery Darwin
