Emily Kame Kngwarreye Indigenous Australian (Anmatyerr), 1910-1996

The painting Alhalkere, like all of her work, was painted directly on the canvas laid flat on the ground, using her arms and body to create sweeping movements and energetic marks (like the artist Jackson Pollock, who intuitively accessed the spiritual realm), to signify a horizontal consciousness, not a hierarchical one.

Knowledge is not privileged over wisdom. There is a balance between knowledge and wisdom—the knowledge gained through a life well lived and the wisdom of ancient stories that represent the intimacy of living on this world. The patterns and diversities of life compliment each other and live in harmony.

‘Alhalkere’?, Emily Kame Kngwarreye answered, when questioned by Rodney Gooch about her imagery is, ‘A whole lot, that’s whole lot, that’s what I paint, whole lot’. Not only the place of her birth, Alhalkere was ultimately the nexus of everything that empowered Kngwarreye’s life, reflecting her participation in ceremony and a lifetime of traditional cultural practice. This small triangular shaped land was the place and the law that she continually re-created in her art.

Please note that all First Nations Art is created from a so called ‘Birds Eye’ view. This means that the paintings can be hung either horizontally as well as vertically.