Emily Kngwarreye
| Emily Kame Kngwarreye | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1910 |
| Died | 3 September 1996 (aged 85–86) Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Other names | Emily Kam Ngwarray, Kngwarreye, Emily Kame Kngarreye |
| Known for | Painting, contemporary indigenous Australian art |
Emily Kame Kngwarreye (or Emily Kam Ngwarray) (1910 – 3 September 1996) was an indigenous Australian artist from the Utopia community in the Northern Territory. She is one of the most prominent and successful artists in the history of contemporary indigenous Australian art.
Born in 1910, Kngwarreye did not take up painting seriously until she was nearly 80. She was born and lived in the Anmatyerre language group at Alhalkere in the Utopia community, about 250 km north east of Alice Springs. Emily had one brother and one sister, and no children of her own. Her brother's children are Gloria Pitjana Mills and Dolly Pitjana Mills. Her sister-in-law was Minnie Pwerle, mother of Barbara Weir whom Kngwarreye partly raised. Kngwarreye died in Alice Springs.
Kngwarreye's initial artistic training was as a traditional indigenous woman, preparing and using designs for women's ceremonies. Her training in western techniques began, along with that of the rest of the Utopia community, with batik. Her first batik cloth works were created in 1980. Later she moved from batik to painting on canvas:
I did batik at first, and then after doing that I learned more and more and then I changed over to painting for good...Then it was canvas. I gave up on...fabric to avoid all the boiling to get the wax out. I got a bit lazy – I gave it up because it was too much hard work. I finally got sick of it ... I didn't want to continue with the hard work batik required – boiling the fabric over and over, lighting fires, and using up all the soap powder, over and over. That's why I gave up batik and changed over to canvas – it was easier. My eyesight deteriorated as I got older, and because of that I gave up batik on silk – it was better for me to just paint.
Acrylic paintings were introduced to Utopia in 1988/89 by Rodney Gooch and others of the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA). An exhibition of some of the paintings of these artists' work organised by CAAMA was held called "A Summer Project", where Kngwarreye's work got immediate attention from critics. The attention she received coincided with the worldwide art boom that occurred at this time.
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