Australian Art Collective – Art for Everyone | Australian Aboriginal Art Gallery

Lindsay Bird Mpetyane

Acrylic on Canvas | Unstretched

120 x 90 cm | C25193

2008

$4,400 AUD

Utnea (Carpet Snake) Dreaming

This elegant and mesmerising work by senior Anmatyerre artist Lindsay Bird Mpetyane tells the story of Utnea, the Carpet Snake Ancestor, a powerful and protective spirit in Aboriginal cosmology. Flowing vertical bands in earthy ochres and blacks symbolise the snake’s movements across the land, weaving through sacred Country and leaving behind important songlines and ceremonial sites.

The undulating lines evoke the snake’s sinuous journey and connection to water sources, while the finely dotted ground represents the terrain and the spiritual imprint of the ancestor. The artwork carries strong cultural knowledge associated with men’s law and ceremonial responsibilities, particularly around the artist’s homeland of Mulga Bore in Central Australia.

Lindsay Bird Mpetyane is a respected lawman and custodian of Dreaming stories, and his works are noted for their minimalism, grace, and deep cultural resonance. Utnea Dreaming is both a visual and spiritual map—timeless in meaning and modern in aesthetic power.