Emily Kam Kngwarray

A large scale publication accompanying a major exhibition celebrating the monumental art of Emily Kam Kngwarray.

Renowned Australian artist Emily Kam Kngwarray (1910–96) created compelling, powerful works that reflect her extraordinary life as a senior Anmatyerre woman from the Utopia region of Australia. One of the world’s most significant painters to emerge in the late twentieth century, her lived experience and spiritual engagement with her homelands was translated into vibrant batiks and later into monumental paintings on canvas. Kngwarray was in her late 70s when she began painting in earnest. For the next eight years until her death, she painted over 3,000 canvases – roughly one per day – creating timeless art that encapsulates the wisdom, experience and authority she gained throughout her life.

Discover rich textiles, paintings, film and audio elements that embody the majestic scope of Kngwarray’s Country and ancestral heritage. Created in collaboration with the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), this is the first large-scale presentation of the artist's work ever held in Europe and a celebration of her astonishing career as one of Australia’s greatest artists. Generously illustrated, the publication brings together Kngwarray's most significant works and includes archival material and a visual record of community consultations and visits to Kngwarray's Country.