SPIRITED DESERT, 1991
EMILY KAME KNGWARREYE
synthetic polymer paint on canvas
131.0 x 230.0 cm
inscribed verso: artist name and Delmore Gallery cat. IZ109
Private Collection, Donald Holt, Delmore Downs Station, Alice Springs
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Delmore Gallery
This work brought much talk about Emily's country Alhalkere and its various bush tucker species, as the excitement of recent rain had roused her passion. Her country had been very dry, and the arrival of rain had ignited her enthusiasm. The condition of Emily's country is reflected in this work, with the yellow flower of the yam in bloom and the small bush plum about to ripen. 1991 had a rare winter season, hence it is not surprising that Emily has responded to the mood of her country in this work.
Emily has spent most of her life at this place, and knows it intimately, in good season - and in bad. It is essentially the power of the red, bare soil, with its countless seeds of energy hidden, lying in wait for rain, that when recognised, binds one forever to the country by the marvel of such dramatic transformation and the abundance that follows. Emily illustrates her country in different colours, each colour representing the raw, ripe, and dry fruit, the bud, the flower, the dry petals, the plant stem, the stalk, the scattered seeds - all parts of the continuous life cycle.
ANNABEL HOLT AND JANET HOLT