For the Arrernte people of Mparntwe (Alice Springs), the wet season is a vibrant time. When thunder begins to rumble on the horizon, the community knows that soon, dusty river beds will gurgle and gush with fresh water, and it is the cause of great celebration. “It's always this really big, momentous thing because it doesn't happen all the time,” explains artist Thea Anamara Perkins, whose middle name, Anamara, refers to a river and Dreaming that runs north of Mparntwe, in the Central Desert Region. “But also, when a dry river bed fully runs, people can drown because it's really treacherous. It's much like the landscape – beautiful, but treacherous.”
As the recipient of the second La Prairie Art Award, Perkins, an Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman with ties to Sydney's Redfern community, has created four works. The group, which can be seen on these
