
Emily Kame Kngwarreye Indigenous Australian (Anmatyerr), 1910-1996
78.3 x 120.1 inch
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity
During the last two years of her life, she broke with her bright color schemes by making minimalist ‘line’ paintings in black, brown or blue on a white background with horizontal or vertical stripes inspired by women’s ceremonial body painting.
This creative evolution led to her Wild Yam Dreamings—works composed of intricately layered and intersecting lines that evoke the subterranean roots of the Yam plant, an edible and spiritually significant plant in Aboriginal culture. From this seminal period comes one of her most celebrated masterpieces, Big Yam Dreaming (1995), now held in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria. Like the work featured here, it exemplifies her profound connection to Country and the enduring cultural significance of the Yam Dreaming.
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.
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist and family in Utopia, 1995
Australian Gallery of Dreamings, Melbourne, Australia
Private collection, Melbourne, Australia
Exhibitions
EMILY: Utopia to Tokyo, The Anzai Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, 2024
Tjukurrpa: The Dreaming, SmithDavidson Gallery X UNIT London, London, United Kingdom, 2025