Lewin
Pitjantjatjara
I am Lewin and I am in Year 11. I am a proud Pitjantjatjara fella from Amata in the APY Lands.
At school I enjoy doing PE because I get to be active. Outside of school I play a lot of sports like football and basketball. Art is part of my family and me.
MEET
THE STORY BEHIND
MY ARTWORK
My artwork is the Seven Sisters story, it is my dreaming and it is based on them running away from the evil man. The sisters become the stars, and I have chosen the background to be a starry background. The meeting place in the middle represents all of my family coming together. On the left corner I have a homeland with a tree, some rocks and spinifex which feels like home.
IN lEWIN’S WORDS
What does your art
mean to you?
Art is part of my culture. My people inspire me because my family paint back in community and on Country. I learnt my artwork from my uncle Stanley back home and he told me everything I needed to know. He taught me the significance of the Seven Sisters story and how important it is because it is mine and my family’s. This inspires my artwork because I share that story and my Dreaming.
What inspired your art for the Cultural Threads collection?
My uncle inspired me to make the artwork for the collection. He shared the Seven Sisters story with me and helped me understand it. Country inspires me because it is good being out there with my family and spending time listening to stories. The green makes me feel happy, so I chose to include it.
What does this opportunity mean to you?
The opportunity means a lot to me so I can express my art, and I am grateful that I was selected. It is a good thing to think about my art being all over Australia and lots of people can wear it.
How does it feel to have your work worn all around Australia?
It makes me feel very happy and proud of myself that people will wear my work. Everyone will get to be connected to culture and encourage them to do art too. My family will be proud to see me following my Elders. Kids back home in my community will feel how I do when I see my Elders’ art; they will be proud of who they are, their culture and their family.
What do you think students will think about, or learn, when they wear your artwork?
When people look at my art, I want them to connect to it in their own way. I want people to understand Aboriginal culture and the connection I have to my homeland.
A MESSAGE FROM
When people wear my artwork, I want them to think ‘palya’. I want them to feel and hear what my homeland is like, peaceful and connected.
EVERY CULTURAL THREADS
COLLECTION BEGINS WITH
A STUDENT ARTIST.
We listen. We learn. We walk together.
Thank you for supporting young Aboriginal
artists and helping their stories be seen,
heard and worn with pride.
