Artist: Emily Kame Kngwarreye | Title: Athamarenye | Year: 1993 | Medium: synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen | Dimensions: 127 x 125 cm
PROVENANCE
Utopia Art Cat No. EK248
Aboriginal Gallery of Dreamings, VIC
signed verso
ARTWORK STORY
Emily's middle name, Kame, is taken from the yam Dreaming site at Alhalkere. The nutritional value of the yam is hidden underground, in the swollen roots and their pod-like attachments which are difficult to locate as the plant's unpredictable growth patters make harvest complicated and specialised. Emily's yam story can be found in all her work, even though in some paintings the yam motif is not obvious, it lies below the surface of them all. This work embodies the spirit of her country.
Artist Profile
COMMUNITY/REGION
Utopia, NT
LANGUAGE
Eastern Anmatyerre
BIOGRAPHY
During a whirlwind painting career that lasted just eight years, octogenarian Emily Kame Kngwarreye became Aboriginal Australia’s most successful living artist and carved an enduring presence in the history of Australian art. By the time she passed away on September the 2nd 1996 her fame had achieved mythic status. The Sydney Morning Herald obituary reported the ‘Passing of a Home Grown Monet’. By this time comparisons with a number of great international artists including Pollock, Kandinsky, Monet and Matisse, had become commonplace. Emily was an artistic superstar, the highest paid woman in the country, who created one of the most significant artistic legacies of our time… Continue Reading
PROVENANCE
Utopia Art Cat No. EK248
Aboriginal Gallery of Dreamings, VIC
signed verso
ARTWORK STORY
Emily's middle name, Kame, is taken from the yam Dreaming site at Alhalkere. The nutritional value of the yam is hidden underground, in the swollen roots and their pod-like attachments which are difficult to locate as the plant's unpredictable growth patters make harvest complicated and specialised. Emily's yam story can be found in all her work, even though in some paintings the yam motif is not obvious, it lies below the surface of them all. This work embodies the spirit of her country.
Artist Profile
COMMUNITY/REGION
Utopia, NT
LANGUAGE
Eastern Anmatyerre
BIOGRAPHY
During a whirlwind painting career that lasted just eight years, octogenarian Emily Kame Kngwarreye became Aboriginal Australia’s most successful living artist and carved an enduring presence in the history of Australian art. By the time she passed away on September the 2nd 1996 her fame had achieved mythic status. The Sydney Morning Herald obituary reported the ‘Passing of a Home Grown Monet’. By this time comparisons with a number of great international artists including Pollock, Kandinsky, Monet and Matisse, had become commonplace. Emily was an artistic superstar, the highest paid woman in the country, who created one of the most significant artistic legacies of our time… Continue Reading