"We didn’t have any tents — we lived in shelters made of grass.
When it was raining the grass was roughly thrown together for shelter. That was in the olden time, a long time ago."
Emily Kame Kngwarreye is widely regarded as one of the most significant contemporary Australian artists and one of the most celebrated First Nations painters. Born in Alhalkere, in the Northern Territory, she lived most of her life in the Utopia region. Before becoming an artist, she worked as a camel driver and stock-hand, an unusual path for a woman at the time.
Her artistic journey began late in life. At nearly 80 years old, Emily joined the Utopia Women’s Batik Group in 1978 and transitioned to painting in 1988 through a landmark project led by the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association. Her debut painting, Emu Woman, revealed her immense talent and marked the beginning of a prolific, yet brief seven-year painting career.
Emily’s work is known for its vibrant color palettes, abstract forms, and deep connection to her ancestral land and culture. She developed a distinctive style, often referred to as "dump-dump," using wide brushstrokes and layered dots to represent elements of landscapes and vegetation. Later, she preferred minimalist line paintings inspired by traditional body art. Her celebrated Big Yam Dreaming (1995) exemplifies this evolution.
Her impact transcends national borders. In 2008, a major retrospective in Tokyo drew global acclaim, and her work featured at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. The Tate Modern is also hosting her first large-scale European solo exhibition, which is now on view, affirming her legacy as a pioneering force in Indigenous Australian art.