Women Artists of the Desert Painting Movement

The First Peoples of Australia use the term “Country” to refer to their traditional homelands and waterways, to which they have a cultural connection. Paintings which might seem abstract, such as some of the artworks in this section, actually have detailed knowledge of the artist’s Country and its landmarks encoded within them. The work in front of you is by Emily Kame Kngwarreye, who is recognised as one of the greatest female artists of the desert painting movement in Central Australia. She only took up acrylic painting when she was in her seventies, and drew upon her detailed knowledge of Country and a lifetime of experience in other forms of painting to create bold and expressive works. Kngwarreye’s paintings often represent the Yam Dreaming, featuring the yam plant in all its forms. In Yam awelye, she presents a visual map of Country, both above and below ground, as the dried and cracked earth stands in contrast to the ripe yams and complex network of roots below. Another artist who mapped out her Country in artworks is Dorothy Napangardi, whose work is displayed horizontally nearby. Here, the dots create an optical illusion of movement and energy, and represent the undulating sandhills of her birthplace in the desert.