Barbara Skinner b. 1971

Barbara Skinner is an emerging Alyawarre artist from Utopia, an Aboriginal homelands region some 340km north-east of Mparntwe (Alice Springs). Utopia is a region of great artistic and cultural significance, a place where many esteemed artists have emerged, such as the late and great Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Polly Ngale.

Barbara paints the story of water soakage sites in her country. The roundels represent the waterholes from a bird’s eye point-of-view, where the vital source bubbles up from the giving land. Barbara uses repetition of circular forms, but uses brushwork rather than a dotting technique. Barbara's use of vibrant, complimentary colours create an effortlessly contemporary aesthetic.