Untitled (Awelye)

Emily Kam Kngwarreye was born at Alhalkere, north of Alice Springs and after working as a camel handler and stockhand, she became an artist of international repute. Although she only painted for the art market in the last decade of her life, she produced an extraordinary number of works, at times producing monumental canvases in the one sitting. Kngwarreye revolutionised the perception of Aboriginal art, her minimalist works captivating many for their strong visual links to western abstraction. Although Kngwarreye’s works can be viewed in this manner, her paintings are innately connection to her country, the Alhalkere lands around Utopia, NT.
The expressive lines in this work refer to body painting on skin for ceremony. Anmatyerre women don’t see lines, they see the breadth and depth of knowledge of their Alhalkere lands, for the lines simultaneously refer to song, dance and stories that relate to country.