Emily Kam Kngwarray Indigenous Australian (Anmatyerr), 1910-1996

The people of Utopia are successfully maintaining a traditional lifestyle which today includes earning a living from painting. First Nations paintings are based on myths of the Dreamtime. In modern dot representations the sacred aspect of the story is often not revealed however the meaning remains transmitted through symbols which are easily understood.

This painting depicts body paint designs that the women apply to their upper torso for ceremony/ coroboree. “Awelye” (dancing) in the old days used part colored ochres but Emily has adapted acrylic paint on to canvas to depict important ceremonial occasion.

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.