Women's Hairstring (Karrkirritinyia) 2006

Makinti Napanangka made this painting called Women's Hairstring, probably sometime in the early 2000s, with acrylic on canvas. It's all about the process, you can see the rhythm of her hand making these ochre lines that fill the canvas. The surface has got this scrubby texture, layer upon layer of warm reds and pinks. It’s almost vibrating, like a field of energy, with this subtle palette. The verticality of the lines remind me of Agnes Martin, but without the grid! Look at the way the lines are denser on the left, they seem to buckle and bend. It's almost topographic, like a landscape viewed from above. It could be the earth, or it could be hair, or the string she describes in the title. Maybe she's thinking about the act of creation, or the way women are bound together. I love that it's so open to interpretation.