Freddy Purla Biography

Freddy Purla was born in 1968 in Darwin. The son of talented artist Barbara Weir, and grandson of the late Minnie Pwerle, Freddy Purla began painting in 1989 at Alice Springs. He was also the adopted nephew of the famous Emily Kame Kngwarreye. His work has sold to many collections in Germany, Amsterdam, Paris, Switzerland and New York. Purla regularly visited Utopia with his family as a very young child, often staying for long periods before travelling to Alice Springs or Adelaide.  In 1999 Artist Barbara Weir and her son Aboriginal art dealer Fred Torres (painting name Purla) were in Adelaide working with Utopia Artists at Fred's studio. His grandmother mother, Minnie Pwerle who was Emily Kngwarrey's tribal sister, asked for some paint and canvases. Minnie was 80 years old. This is why he paints of Minnie's Country. In his latest works Purla honours Minnie Pwerle with his range of the beautiful "My Grandmother's Country" paints in a variety of colours all produce a feeling of being in the land that Minnie Pwerle knew.