William Pwerle Ross

William Pwerle Ross was born circa 1940 and is a senior man in Utopia, Irrultja.  His country is Atnwengerrp and her language is Anmatyerre and Alyawarre.   He is the brother of the famous artist David Pwerle Ross.

Ross’ paintings hold significant importance due to his role as law man in the region.  As an important person of the Irrultja community, William has many responsibilities in overseeing and teaching the younger men.  William began painting in 2005 after encouragement from community members.  He has developed several styles since; however, the use of traditional colours is consistent in all his works, as is the linear design.  William usually paints small vertical brush strokes that appear as rows of small blocks meandering freely across the canvas.  The brush strokes represent the designs painted in men’s sacred ceremony, which are usually created on the ground as a sand painting, on the body with ochre & fat, or on specific ceremonial objects such as shields and headgear. 

Recently William has created beautiful works that consist of rows of fine dots that alternate in carefully selected hues.  These paintings posses an organic rhythm that speaks out to the viewer and presents a strong impression of the spirituality required in Men’s Ceremony.  In such modern dot representation, the sacred aspect of the painting is not always revealed, but the meaning remains, transmitted through symbols or designs, easily understood by initiated men.

Ross’s work has been exhibited throughout Australia and in Paris, France.  This is the first time he has been exhibited in the UK.