Body paint: Awely
1993
Medium
synthetic polymer paint on paper
Measurements
77.0 × 56.3 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased through The Art Foundation of Victoria with the assistance of Alcoa of Australia Limited, Governor, 1994
©Emily Kam Kngwarray/Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia
Gallery location
Gallery 4
Ground Level, NGV Australia
About this work
Emily Kam Kngwarray began painting late in life, producing an extraordinary body of work between 1988 and 1996. A senior cultural leader, she played an important role in awelye – women’s ceremonies involving song, dance and body painting with ochre. Often painted while seated on the ground, her awelye paintings translate these traditions onto canvas, with striped designs recalling the lines painted on women’s bodies during ceremony. These marks are believed to release spiritual power that sustains the natural world. They also reflect ceremonial knowledge, patterns left in the sand and cuts made in mourning.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Mulga Bore, Northern Territory
Accession Number
O.55-1994
Department
First Nations Australia
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation