EMILY KAME KNGWARREYE - BUSH POTATO COUNTRY
EMILY KAME KNGWARREYE
BUSH POTATO COUNTRY, 1994
152 x 120 cm
Synthetic Polymer Paint on Belgian Linen
PROVENANCE
Utopia, NT
Delmore Gallery, NT Cat No. 94B019The Thomas Vroom Collection, The NetherlandsPrivate Collection, VicEmily has signed the front of this work in the lower right hand corner
STORY
Emily Kngwarreye's paintings of wildflowers reflect a stage in the growth cycle of the wild yam. Emily's middle name Kame is taken from the yam Dreaming site at Alhalkere. The nutritional value of the yam is hidden underground, in the swollen roots and their pod-like attachments which are difficult to locate as the plant's unpredictable growth patterns make harvest complicated and specialised. Traditionally, much effort is expended across large areas in the harvest of this valuable food.Emily's yam story can be found in all her work, even though in some paintings the yam motif is not obvious, it lies below the surface of them all. This painting is accompanied by documentation from Delmore Gallery which reads: 'Emily's country, Alalgura, has many varieties of bush tucker and animals associated with it. Often she will select a tree, vine or fruit-bearing plant, whose seed, fruit, leaves and flowers will lie on, above or below the earth and intermingle with other forms of life in that preferred area. In this instance, it is the 'arlatyeye', or bush potato, whose form here is hinted here with a pale line revealing the underground root of the bush potato plant. At a dry time, the potato lies underground waiting to be either harvested or rejuvenated by rain. Amongst the potato plant leaves and flowers, are the flowers of the 'Wingea', a prickly plant that produces a nutritious and drinkable juice. Emily Kngwarreye's work must be looked on with an understanding that ritual ensures the fertility of future generations of both animal and plant life. The species that Emily has custodial responsibility for are sung about in ceremony. They require particular preparation as food and medicine. Emily's ancestors had the same responsibility to pass on their knowledge about these species.'
EXHIBITED
EXHIBITEDSchittering/Brilliance, AAMU - Museum for Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 12 October 2007 - 23 March 2008
