Language: Amatyerre/Alyawarr
Country: Utopia

 

Barbara Weir's mother is the late Aboriginal Artist Minnie Pwerle. Barbara's father was the Irish station owner, Jack Weir. Barbara was taken from her family and fostered out as one of the 'Stolen Generation' but, in the 1960's Barbara returned to Utopia and stayed with her aunt Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Barbara's career as an artist was inspired by the dynamic community of artists at Utopia and the work of her adopted grandmother Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Emily's work had a profound impact on her and in the early 1990's she began seriously to explore her artistic talents.
In the Utopia Region, there are many varieties of grasses to be found. One such type is found in the spinifex sand plains and sand hills that produce a seed that is collected, crushed and made into a paste to produce bread that the people eat.

Sadly Barbara passed away on the 23rd January 2023