Johnny Jones Kngwarreye (1946 – deceased)

Johnny Jones Kngwarreye was a traditional Alyawarre man
and a custodian for his country of Irrweltye at Utopia. The concentric circles in
his paintings are significant sites associated with his Wallaby, Pink Crested
Cockatoo, Meat Ant, Caterpillar, Snake, and Wallaby Dreamings. The connecting
parallel lines are travelling lines, roads, or tracks, and the half circles are the
imprints men make sitting in the soft sand.
All the men of Utopia come together for secret/sacred ceremonies to re-animate
the land, ensure perpetuation of species, and for the people's health and
happiness. Over many days and nights around blazing campfires, the men sing
the songs of their country, paint their bodies with ochre designs, perform ritual
dances, and tell their Dreaming stories to new generations of young boys.