Emily Kam Kngwarray

The art of Emily Kam Kngwarray is like no other. And likewise her story.

Vast canvases and early vibrant batiks first made the artist's name in the late 1980s. Kngwarray was in her late 70s when she began painting in earnest and for the next eight years until her death, she painted intensely, producing a substantial body of work that continues to make impact today. They teem with the life and spirit of her homeland in Australia's Northern Territory.

Kngwarray’s art is monumental in beauty and spirit and transports visitors to the remote landscapes where they were made.

Her paintings transmit stories and knowledge held over generations. They embody Kngwarray's detailed knowledge of her Ancestral Country. Layered motifs represent the distinct wildlife and geology of the desert ecosystems around her, depicting vines, seeds, lizards and emus with expressive marks.

Kngwarray never left her community despite national fame in her own lifetime. Now, 80 of her works can be seen together in Europe for the first time in this once-in-a-generation exhibition, an experience of enormous emotional power. Her extraordinary story can also be newly appreciated through film and audio in the exhibition.

Created in collaboration with the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), the exhibition is a celebration of one of Australia’s greatest artists.

Exhibition organised by Tate Modern, and the National Gallery of Australia based on an exhibition curated by Kelli Cole, Warumungu and Luritja peoples and Hetti Perkins, Arrernte and Kalkadoon peoples. Emily Kam Kngwarray at Tate Modern is curated by Kelli Cole.

Research supported by Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational in partnership with Hyundai Motor.