From • @tate Emily Kame Kngwarreye was an Anmatyerre Elder in Alhalkere country, Northern Territory. This work 'Untitled (Alhalkere)' 1989 celebrates the artist's heritage and rich connections to her country, revealing how her role as Elder of her community and custodian of her land are interwoven with her art making. Kngwarreye's works are based on body painting designs used in Awelye (Anmatyerre women’s ceremonies). During these ceremonies, Anmatyerre women paint designs on their chests and shoulders using ground ochre, charcoal and ash – directly applying country to their bodies. The artist was in her late 70s when she was introduced to acrylic paint. For the next eight years until her death she painted over 3,000 canvases –- roughly one painting per day. Her work became hugely successful in the 1980s, helping to raise global awareness of contemporary Aboriginal art, which the art critic Robert Hughes hailed as ‘the last great art movement of the 20th century’. Emily Kame Kngwarreye's 'Untitled (Alhalkere)' 1989 is on display in A Year in Art: Australia 1992 -- a new free exhibition opening next week at Tate Modern, featuring artworks made both before and after the Mabo decision, that explore the continuing relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have with their lands. #MoreThanAWord #NRW2021 https://www.instagram.com/p/CPqF5PLpFlkyV8bwsTw247QW9ZNDYvJlqd0SWY0/?utm_medium=tumblr