Women's Hairstring (Karrkirritinyia) 2006

Makinti Napanangka made this painting, "Women's Hairstring (Karrkirritinyia)," using earthy pigments to evoke the ancestral narratives of her culture. It’s like she’s channeling something ancient through those ochre-soaked lines. Imagine Napanangka at work, maybe sitting on the ground, the canvas spread out before her. What stories might she have been telling herself as she laid down each stroke? I see a rhythm in the repetition, a kind of meditative act. It reminds me of Agnes Martin’s grids, but with this grounded, visceral connection to the land. The paint is thick, almost sculptural in places, giving the surface a tactile quality. The colors hum together, creating a field of vibrating energy. Each gesture feels like a breath, an offering. Artists are always talking to each other across time and space, you know? Napanangka's work resonates with so many others, yet it’s utterly her own. Painting at its best is this embodied expression, full of ambiguity and open to endless interpretations.