Two people stand in front of 'Untitled (Alhalker)' by Emily Kam Kngwarray.
Two people stand in front of 'Untitled (Alhalker)' by Emily Kam Kngwarray.

Emily Kam Kngwarray

Be inspired by artist Emily Kam Kngwarray, Anmyaterr people, and make art considering your own perspectives on the world
  • Making
  • Artwork
  • KS3
  • KS4
  • KS5
  • Painting
  • Landscape
  • Installation and Performance
  • Identity
  • Environment
  • Storytelling
  • Community

    • “I keep on painting the place that belongs to me—I never change from painting that place.”

    Emily Kam Kngwarray

    We acknowledge and thank the Anmyaterr people for the learnings, culture and understanding they have generously shared with us. We recognise the historic and ongoing harms of British colonialism against Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people and commit to learning from the knowledge shared by the traditional custodians of Australia. We pay our respects to their ancestors, elders and community for continuing the song and story of their people for time immemorial.

    We also thank the Learning team at the National Gallery of Australia for their knowledge and time in co-creating this resource.

    You will need

    • A large indoor or outdoor space for your students to move around and get comfortable in
    • Paper and writing materials (pens, pencils, markers, pastels)

    Learn About the Artwork

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    • Artwork

      Untitled (Alhalker)

      Emily Kam Kngwarray
      1989

    "You are all welcome to come and look at these paintings, old woman Kam Kngwarray’s paintings. Our Alhalker Country is really important for all of us. It will always be alive. The old woman’s paintings have their origins in our Country, and we hope that you all enjoy looking at them.  Listen to the stories she tells, and the women’s songs she sings."

    Jedda Kngwarray Purvis, Anmatyerr people

    Emily Kam Kngwarray’s artworks share story, ceremony and Country, ideas of significance for Anmatyerr people. Her artworks can’t be understood through western perspectives or interpretation of symbols or imagery. Instead, we can create understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and cultures by hearing from relevant First Nations voices. For example, all the quotes in this resource come from Anmatyerr and other First Nations people, including Emily Kam Kngwarray herself and those who knew her. This is an invitation to young people to bring their curiosity and their own stories to their art-making.

    About the Artwork

    This artwork is by Emily Kam Kngwarray, an Anmatyerr artist born at Alhalker Country.

    She created works about Alhalker Country, and how her Country is intertwined with her identity. Unless we are an Anmatyerr person, we cannot have the same connection to Alhalker. However, we can understand this connection by thinking about other places that we have our own relationships with!

    Kam Kngwarray understood the seasons of these places, the animals of these places and the sacred ceremony that continues to happen on Alhalker and Anmatyerr Country. Her knowledge has been shared generationally, including how to care for Alhalker Country and the community.

    Watch

    Find out more about Emily Kam Kngwarray and Alhalker Country in this video.

    Make

    Emily Kam Kngwarray prompts us to consider place and identity. In this activity, write a poem inspired by your relationship to your local environment!

    Getting to Know Ourselves

    Duration: 10 minutes

    1. Read this quote together:

    “Alhalker Country is ours—so is the anwerlarr yam. I paint my plant, the one I am named after—those seeds I am named after. Kam is its name. Kam. I am named after the anwerlarr plant. I am Kam!... That’s what I painted. I keep on painting the place that belongs to me—I never change from painting that place. The seeds and seedpods of the pencil yam originated there. That’s all.” - Emily Kam Kngwarray

    Kam Kngwarray is talking about her name and how deeply rooted it is in her Country.

    Photo © Tate (Jai Monaghan)

    Photo © Shani Weekes

    2. Think about your own name and identity using these questions:

    • Where did your name come from?  Who gave it to you?
    • How does your name connect you to place, identity, or culture?
    • How does your lived experience shape your art making and creativity?

    3. Make a note of your answers in words or short phrases. Keep these for later!

    Feel Your Space

    Duration: 10 Minutes

    1. Get into small groups of 3-4. Pick a space that’s important to you as a group – indoors or outdoors. This could be a room in your school, your playground, or a local landmark
    2. Once you’re there, spread out and move around, slowly and intentionally. Feel the breadth of the space you’re in. What colours, shapes, smells do you notice? What stands out to you – other people? Trees, plants, living creatures? Buildings, objects?

    Photo © Hydar Dewachi

    “If you close your eyes and imagine the paintings in your mind’s eye, you will see them transform. They are real—what Kngwarray painted is alive and true.”

    Jedda Kngwarray Purvis and Josie Petyarr Kunoth

    Photo © Hydar Dewachi

    3. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Imagine yourself in the space from a bird’s-eye view, as if you’re creating a map. Think about everything that you’ve noticed, and what you’ve experienced about the space.

    4. Open your eyes again. Write down names for the things you noticed – make up your own names if you’d like! - and describe them. What colours, textures, scents, feelings do you associate with each object or person you’ve included?

    Make a Poem

    Duration: 10 Minutes

    1. Gather everything you’ve written and spend 5 minutes thinking about how it all fits together.
    2. Use your writing to make a poem about yourself and your local environment. What stories can you find within the words you’ve chosen? What do you want to share about your identity and experiences? How does your understanding of the space reflect you?

    Photo © Tate (Madeleine Buddo)

    Photo © Shani Weekes

    3. Share what you’ve written with your group. What similarities and differences do you notice between your poems?

    4. At the end of your lesson, perform your poems to the rest of your class and celebrate each other’s work!

    Adapt for Sensory Learners

    Find a surface you like the feeling of and trace it with your hands and feet. As you trace it, try different movements – sweeping, tapping, patting, poking – as big or small as you’d like! Find 2 movements that you like the feeling of and share them with your group.

    “Kngwarray, perhaps unintentionally, certainly unconcernedly, demonstrated that Aboriginal art was not compelled to assimilate to a western art tradition.”

    Kelli Cole, Wardaman and Luritja peoples & Hetti Perkins, Arrernte and Kalkadoon peoples

    Extend

    Watch this further video together and hear directly from women who are contemporary custodians of Alhalker and Anangker Country. Think about the knowledge being shared with us:

    • What do you learn about Emily Kam Kngwarray and her people?
    • How does this help you to understand her artwork, her Country, and her life?

    How to use Art Makes

    Making art is a powerful way to learn new skills, explore ideas and express ourselves creatively. Encourage your students to discover new materials, techniques and methods inspired by great artists at Tate.

    1. Prepare
    • Project the artwork in your classroom and/or print off copies for your students to have in front of them
    1. Learn (10 minutes)
    • Invite your students to read the background information on the artwork and the artist
    • Discuss what you’ve learned together
    1. Make (30 minutes)
    • Follow the step-by-step instructions
    • Use the Adapt section for accessible alternatives to this activity
    • Use the Extend activity within the same lesson or in a future session

    This resource was developed with the National Gallery of Australia, in line with their ‘Art Through Culture’ principles. This approach to learning about First Nations art was created in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, empowering audiences to gain deeper understanding of First Nations arts and cultures. Using the Art Through Culture principles, we are guided by First Peoples’ voices to avoid cultural appropriation, supporting audiences to engage with artwork respectfully and safely.

    Learn more about Art Through Culture

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