Freda Price Pitjara

Freda Price (b.1984) is the daughter of Anna Price Petyarre and the late Colin Price Kemarre (dec. 2004). She was born in Alice Springs and raised in Atneltyeye (Boundary Bore, Utopia Region). Freda comes from a long line of famous artists, she is the daughter of renowned artist Anna Price Pitjara, the granddaughter of the late Gloria (Glory) Ngale and a descendant of the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye.

Like her mother, Freda uses intricately detailed dotting and monochrome colours in her paintings. She was taught to paint at a young age, watching and learning from her mother and her wider family. Her dreaming stories were passed down to her by her mother and as such she paints about Atnwelarre (Pencil Yam), Kame (Pencil Yam Seed) and stories about Country titled 'My Mother’s Country or My Country'.

Her paintings are an aerial or topographical depiction of Country, depicting landscape formation and the sacred sites, focusing often on Yam seeds, which are abundant in Utopia. For generations, the Anmatyerre people have been harvesting the seeds from this plant, to be ground down into a fine powder to make damper. It is a highly nutritious and a hardy food source in the desert. The sacred plant is often celebrated in women’s ceremonies, through song, dance and body painting.

Freda is an emerging artist and her paintings have gained a strong following within a short space of time.