Amelia Riley b. 1999

Amelia often depicts a
favourite bush tucker of kampurrarpa - bush tomatoes. Kampurarrpa are the fruit
of solanum central, a hardy and fast-growing shrub that is native to arid
regions of Australia. These plants have provided staple foods to Indigenous
people of the desert for many thousands of years. From vibrant purple flowers,
the fruit first emerges as green, begins to ripen to a yellow colour, and
eventually darkens and turns brown, drying and shrivelling to a “raisin”, which
can also be eaten. Not only are they an important food source, the roots of the
bush tomato plant are also used for medicinal purposes. The bush tomatoes are
also connected to the significant Kungakarangkalpa Tjukurrpa, Seven Sisters
Dreaming – this songline passes through Amelia’s ancestral country in the APY
Lands. There is a significant rock painting site associated with this Dreaming;
Walinynga (also known as Cave Hill). At this place, the Seven Sisters
shape-shifted into kampurrarpa in order to hide from the “bad man” who was
pursuing them, Wati Nyiru. You can often see seven roundels in Amelia's paintings to depict the sisters, or seven "tomatoes" to represent their disguise!

Amelia’s painting style has a youthful and carefree energy, and just like her mother, she enjoys working with bright, bold colour palettes.