Bessie Nakamarra Simms

Inheriting her dreaming stories from her father and grandfather, Bessie became an accomplished artist and educator in the community of Yuendumu. Her early years were entirely lived in the bush, steeped in her tribal tradition, before encountering white people and eventually settling in the tiny remote township, where she married and had seven daughters. Her husband, Paddy Sims was already achieving wide success in the art world when Bessie, by now in her 50’s, joined a group of senior women who pioneered the women’s painting initiative (late 1980’s). The Warlukurlangu art centre opened in 1985, and Bessie was involved from the start. Bessie believed that painting on canvas keeps alive the stories, songs and ceremonies of the Warlpiri belief system, their anchorage to the land and their identity. Her many grandchildren benefited from her wisdom, and she was sadly mourned by her community at her passing. Her work was included in many of the seminal shows that brought Western Desert Art to the world and can still be seen in major collections, nationally and internationally, including NGA Canberra. © Adrian Newstead