Bessie Nakamarra Sims
- Skin Name:Nakamarra
- Language:Warlpiri
- Region:Yuendumu, Central Australia
- Dreaming:Flying Ant, Small Yam,Possum, Two Women, Bush Potato, Bush Plum
Artist has Passed Away
1932-2012
Out of respect for Aboriginal culture Central Art has removed the artist's photograph.
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Biography
Bessie Nakamarra Sims, who passed away in 2012, was one of the most valued members of the Warlukurlangu Artists Community. Painting since the mid 1980s, she has consistently been exhibited nationally and internationally in group exhibitions. She occasionally collaborated on larger works with her husband, Paddy Japaljarri Sims (who passed away in 2011 and who was also a reputable artist). The main Dreaming's in Bessie's work were Ngarlajiyi (Small Yam), Janganpa (Possum), Pamapardu (Flying Ant), Karntajarra (Two Women), Yarla (Bush Potato) and Mukaki (Bush Plum).
Bessie was quoted as saying, 'I like painting 'cause it's my Dreaming, from my father and grandfather's side. I like to teach kids my Dreaming. I want everyone to know my Dreaming from all over the world. I know and they can know.'
Bessie was born in the bush where she lived for many years before coming into contact with white people at Mt. Doreen Station, west of Yuendumu. Most recently she lived in South Camp in Yuendumu and was an active member within the community. In her spare time she went hunting for Wardapi and bush tucker such as Yarla and Yakajirri.
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Bibliography
Birnie Danzker, J. Dreamings. Tjukurrpa Aboriginal Art of the Western Desert The Donald
Kahn Collection Prestel, Munich, New York,1994
Caruana, W Aboriginal Art, Thames and Hudson (World of Art),London, 1993
Diggins, L. (ed.) A Myriad of Dreaming Malakoff Fine Art Press, Melbourne, 1989
Johnstone, C (Dir) The Painted Dream: Contemporary Aboriginal Paintings From Tim And
Vivien Johnson Collection, Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland New Zealand, 1990
O'Ferrall, M 'Jukurrpa Desert Dreamings - a survey of central desert art 1971 - 1993', Art
Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, 1993
West, M. (ed.) The InspiredDream Queensland Art Gallery , Brisbane, 1988
Morphy, H. 'Aboriginal Art' Phaidon Press Limited, London, 1998
Morphy, H. and Boles, M.S. (eds.) 'Art from the land' University of Virginia Press, Virginia,
U.S.A., 1999
National Museum of Women in the Arts 'Dreaming their Way' Australian Aboriginal Women
Painters, 2006
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Collections
Aboriginal Art Museum, Utrecht
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
Australian Museum, Sydney
Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvingrove, Glasgow, Scotland
Donald Kahn Collection, USA
Flinders University Collection, Melbourne
Gordon Darling Foundation, Canberra
Museums & Art Galleries of the Northern Territory
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Newmont Mining, USA
South Australian Museum, Adelaide
Shell, USA
Private Collections
Australian Institute for Teching & School Leadership
Central TAFE Perth, WA
Kluge Ruhe, VA, USA
Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo
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Exhibitions
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
June 1986 Editions Gallery, Perth
Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
1986 July Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
October 1986 R.S.A.S.A. Gallery, Adelaide
September 1987 Chapman Gallery, Canberra
January 1987 Achille Lauro, Perth
March 1987 Blaxland Gallery, Sydney
June 1987 Roar Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne
December 1987 Opera House Gallery, Sydney
September 1988 Hilton Hotel (NaIdoc Week), Adelaide
September 1988 Caz Gallery, Los Angeles, U.S.A.
September 1988 Dreamtime Gallery, Perth
February 1988 Lewis-Wara Gallery, Seattle, U.S.A.
May 1988 F.O.E. Community Art Space, Melbourne
July 1988 Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
December 1988 F.O.E. Community Art Space, Melbourne
January 1989 Victor Harbour Art Show, South Australia
May 1989 F.O.E. Community Art Space, Melbourne
August 1989 Chesser Gallery, Adelaide
October 1989 F.O.E. Community Art Space, Melbourne
November 1989 Hogarth Gallery of Dreams, Sydney
September 1990 'National Aboriginal Art Award', Darwin
March 1990 South Australian Museum Shop, Adelaide Festival
July 1990 Performing Arts Centre, Darwin
October 1990 F.O.E. Community Art Space, Melbourne
November 1990 Hogarth Gallery of Dreams, Sydney
December 1990 I.U.N.C. (showing at Hilton Hotel), Perth
December 1990 'Women's Exhibition', The Women's Gallery, Melbourne
September 1991 Darwin Performing Arts Centre, Darwin
January 1991 The Women's Gallery, Melbourne
March 1991 Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
March 1991 Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
July 1991 Te Whare Taonga o Aotearoa National Art Gallery & Museum, New Zealand
July 1991 Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
November 1991 Albert Hall, Canberra
December 1991 Hogarth Gallery of Dreams, Sydney
September 1992 Alliance Francais, Canberra
January 1992 The Haven Gallery, Melbourne
January 1992 The Long Gallery, Hobart
March 1992 Dreamtime Gallery, Gold Coast
July 1992 Araluen, Alice Springs
August 1992 Manyuku, Melbourne
November 1992 Women's Gallery, Melbourne
November 1992 Chapman Gallery, Canberra
November 1992 Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
September 1993 Sutton Gallery, Melbourne
1993 'Jukurrpa, Desert Dreamings - a survey of central desert art 1971-1993', Art
Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
September 1993 'Aratjara - Art Of The First Australians', Kunstsammlung Nordrhein Westfalen, Dusseldorf, Germany
April 1993 Adelaide Town Hall, (in association with the Pacific Arts Symposium), Adelaide
April - July 1993 'Aratjara', Hayward Gallery, London
July 1993 Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
July 1993 Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
1993 'Dreaming t July he World', St. Mungo's Museum, Glasgow
October 1993 Alice Prize Exhibition, Araluen, Alice Springs
October 1993 CINAFE (Chicago International New Art Forms Exposition), U.S.A.
September 1994 "Desertracks", Westergasfabriek, Amsterdam
February 1994 The Assembly Hall of the Territorial Parliament, Tahiti, French Polynesia
February 1994 Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide (in conjunction with The Adelaide Festival)
April 1994 Inter-American Art Gallery, Miami, Florida, U.S.A
May 1994 Chicago Art Fair, Chicago, U.S.A
October 1994 Hogarth Gallery of Dreams, Sydney
October 1994 Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
January 1995 Cleveland Centre for Contempoary Art, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
February 1995 Cultureel Centrum Berchem, Antwerp
April 1995 Kloosterkazerne, Breda
December 1995 INMA Foundation, Amsterdam
March 1996 Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
November 1996 World Vision, Sydney
September 1997 Art Gallery NSW, Festival of the Dreaming, Sydney
January 1997 Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
December 1997 Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
April 1998 Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne
April 1998 Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
June 1998 Framed Gallery, Darwin
July 1998 Desert Designs, W.A.
September 1999 "Mina Mina" show, Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
1999 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art
Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
September - April 1999 "L'art des Aborigenes d'Australie", Theatre de Narbonnes France
July 1999 Desert Mob Show, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs
September 2000 Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne
September 2000 Paintings and Prints, Northern Territory University, Darwin
September 2000 "Desert Mob Show", Araluen Centre for the Arts, Alice Springs
January 2000 World Baptist Conference, Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Melbourne
January 2000 "L'art des Aborigenes d'Australie", Marie d' Allonnes, France
April 2000 Print exhibition, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
May 2000 "Januarygku yinyi", Carey Baptist Grammar School, Melbourne
May 2000 "Hot Press", Beaver Galleries, Canberra
July 2000 Kurawari, Desart Gallery, Sydney
August 2000 Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
October 2000 "Marking the Paper", Desart Gallery, Sydney
October 2000 'Wayuta', The Desart Janganpa Gallery, Alice Springs
August 2001 'Desert Mob' Araluen Art Centre and Gallery Alice Springs
September 2002 Onshore Art Barwon Heads Victoria
April 2002 Indigenart Perth
April 2002 Jeffrey Moose Gallery, Seattle, Washington USA
June 2002 "The Warlukurlangu Collection", Parliament House Canberra
December 2002 Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
December 2002 "Dreamings: Land and Ceremony", Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
April 2003 Warlukurlangu Artists, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne
2003 Black and White, Colour: seeing country in two ways, Counihan Gallery, Melbourne
May - July 2003 'Yimi Pirrijirdi - Strong Stories', Alison Kelly Gallery, Melbourne
August 2003 Aboriginal Art, January Murphy Gallery, Brisbane
October 2003 'Desert Mob', Araluen Centre, Alice Springs
October 2003 'Kurruwarri Wirijarlu - Big Story' Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
2004 September 'Desert Mob' Araluen Centre, Alice Springs
2004 'Little Warlu, Big Stories, Hot Little paintings by Big artists of Yuendumu', Australia's NT & Outback Centre, Sydney
February 2004 Jeffrey Moose Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
2004 Kurruwarri Pipangka - Designs on Paper' CDU Gallery, Charles Darwin University NT
February - March 2004 'Dreaming Stories', Indigenart, Perth
April 2004 'New Works from Yuendumu', Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
November 2004 'Recent Works from Yuendumu', Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
December 2004 Hogarth Galleries, Paddington NSW
September 2005 'Warlukurlangu Group Show', Beaver Gallery, Canberra, ACT
September 2005 'Desert Mob', Araluen Art & Cultural Centre, Alice Springs, NT
2005 'Masterpieces of Aboriginal Art, Collectors Exhibition', Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
January - February 2005 'WAAA Collection' Flinders Museum, Adelaide, SA
2005 'Jukurrpa Wiri 'Important Dreaming Stories', Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs, NT
April 2005 'Warlukurlangu Collection', Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs, NT
June 2005 'Divas' of the Desert', Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NT
June 2005 'Group Show', Alison Kelly Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
July 2005 'Recent Works', Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
August 2005 'Luminous', Northern Editions, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT
December 2005 'Land of Diversity', Hogarth Gallery, Sydney
September 2006 Desert Mob, Aralauen Art & Cultural Centre, Alice Springs, NT
September 2006 Warlukurlangu Artists - New Works, Hogarth Gallery, Sydney, NSW
September 2006 Warlukurlangu Artists - Recent Works, Mason Gallery, Darwin, NT
January 2006 'Open Doors', Aboriginal Art Museum, Utrecht
May 2006 Artists of Yuendumu, NT & Outback Centre, Sydney, NSW
May 2006 Diva's of the Desert, Galery Gondwana, Alice Springs, NSW
2006 Artists of Yuendumu, Australia's Outback Gallery, NT & Outback Centre,
Darling Harbour,Sydney, NSW
May 2006 'Divas of the Desert', Gallery Gondwana, Sydney, NSw
June 2006 Paintings from the Fire Country, Birrung Gallery, Sydney, NSW
June 2006 Gamarada Indigenous Scholarship Fund, NSW
August 2006 Senior Women's Show, Gadfly Gallery, Perth
August 2006 Recent Works, Yuendumu, Suzanne O'Connell Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
November 2006 Warlpiri Artists of Yuendumu, Japingka Gallery, Perth, WA
November 2006 Journey to Mina Mina, Gallery Gondwana, Sydney, NSw
November 2006 Warlpiri Artists of Yuendumu, Japingka Gallery, WA
2006 Sister's Dreaming, Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Kwanhoon Gallery,
Insadong, South Korea
November - December 2006 Guangzhou Art Fair, China
December 2006 Summery Survey, Hogarth Gallery, Sydney, NSW
September 2007 Warlukurlangu - Aboriginal Art aus Yuendumu, ArtKelch, Freiburg, Germany
September 2007 Desert Mob, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, NT
2007 Southern Spirits, Seoul Millennium Hilton Hotel, Southern Exchange, South Korea
September - February 2007 Opera House Show, Hogarth Gallery, Sydney, NSW
February 2007 Paperweight, Suzanne O'Connell Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
March 2007 Annual Women's Show, Vivienne Anderson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
April 2007 Warlukurlangu Artists, Hogarth Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2007 Yuendumu & Kimberley - Twin Indigenous Show, United Gallery, Sydney, NSW
May 2007 Couples, painting partners from Yuendumu & Nyirrpi, Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA
June 2007 Desert Dreamings: earth + water, July Artitja Fine Art, Perth, WA
August 2007 Contemporary Masters of the Central Desert, SF Fine Art, Sydney, NSW
2007 Australian Aboriginal Artists from the Central Desert, Jeffrey Moose Gallery, Seattle WA, USA
November - December 2007 Stocking, Artereal, Sydney, NSW
January 2008 Aboriginal Art aus der Central und Western Desert, ArtKelch, Germany
February 2008 Important Aboriginal Art, Michael Reid Fine Art, Sydney, NSW
April 2008 Warlukurlangu Artists of Yuendumu, The Painted Door, Petaluma CA, USA
2008 Warlukurlangu Artists, Established & Emerging Artists, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW
August - October 2008 Bush Tucker 08, Arereal Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2010 - 'Welcoming Warlu', Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney, NSW
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Aboriginal word glossary
