Alhalkere Soakage, 1994

synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen

151 x 91 cm

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Provenance: Delmore Gallery, Delmore Downs, NT, Cat No.,941010 Private Collection, USA Indigenous Fine Art Auction, The Rod Menzies Indigenous Art Collection Part II, Cooee Art Gallery, NSW Lot 13
Artwork story: This painting, Alhalkere Soakage, is one of three works created by Emily Kame Kngwarreye in the same month in 1994. Through the careful placement of dots, she mapped the country in flowing lineal formations — a surface alive with the vitality of water and light. The glowing patterns evoke the brilliance of rain clouds and lightning that followed ceremonies performed by the Eastern Anmatyerre rain-makers, whose songs successfully brought rain to the parched land. The resulting downpour triggered widespread celebration, drawing neighbouring groups together as the country responded in abundance. Across the composition, luminous dots trace the movement of water as it runs between hills and settles in lower ground. The surface shimmers with the emergence of new life — the rapid germination of seeds released from the desert’s hidden “seed bank.” When the rain nourishes the soil and the plants bloom, families return to harvest bush foods and renew their connection to this important place: Alhalkere. Alhalkere is Emily’s birth country and a vital water source for her Eastern Anmatyerre ancestors. It encompasses two connected men’s Emu Dreaming sites — Atnangkere and Alhalkere — where the Emu creation stories intertwine with that of the Anooralya Yam, Emily’s principal totemic plant. The yam produces a daisy flower known as kame, a favourite food of the male emu. In the Dreaming narrative, the kame seed and the yam pod provide nourishment that sustains the bird as he sits steadfast on his nest, hatching and guarding his eggs.

Stockroom

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Emily Kame Kngwarreye

c.1910 – 1996

Region: Eastern Desert
Community: Utopia
Language group: Anmatyerr (Anmatyerre)

Alhalkere Soakage, 1994

synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen

151 x 91 cm

Enquire for price

Provenance: Delmore Gallery, Delmore Downs, NT, Cat No.,941010 Private Collection, USA Indigenous Fine Art Auction, The Rod Menzies Indigenous Art Collection Part II, Cooee Art Gallery, NSW Lot 13
Artwork story: This painting, Alhalkere Soakage, is one of three works created by Emily Kame Kngwarreye in the same month in 1994. Through the careful placement of dots, she mapped the country in flowing lineal formations — a surface alive with the vitality of water and light. The glowing patterns evoke the brilliance of rain clouds and lightning that followed ceremonies performed by the Eastern Anmatyerre rain-makers, whose songs successfully brought rain to the parched land. The resulting downpour triggered widespread celebration, drawing neighbouring groups together as the country responded in abundance. Across the composition, luminous dots trace the movement of water as it runs between hills and settles in lower ground. The surface shimmers with the emergence of new life — the rapid germination of seeds released from the desert’s hidden “seed bank.” When the rain nourishes the soil and the plants bloom, families return to harvest bush foods and renew their connection to this important place: Alhalkere. Alhalkere is Emily’s birth country and a vital water source for her Eastern Anmatyerre ancestors. It encompasses two connected men’s Emu Dreaming sites — Atnangkere and Alhalkere — where the Emu creation stories intertwine with that of the Anooralya Yam, Emily’s principal totemic plant. The yam produces a daisy flower known as kame, a favourite food of the male emu. In the Dreaming narrative, the kame seed and the yam pod provide nourishment that sustains the bird as he sits steadfast on his nest, hatching and guarding his eggs.