Untitled 2004

Makinti Napanangka made this untitled painting, sometime before 2011, probably using acrylic on canvas. I'm drawn to how Napanangka lays down these warm, earthy tones—ochre, tan, and sienna—in a seemingly endless variety of marks. Short dashes, straight lines, concentric circles—each one feels deliberate, yet the overall effect is one of freedom. You can almost feel her moving around the canvas, responding to what's already there, letting the painting evolve organically. Look closely at the bottom left corner, and you'll see a cluster of overlapping U-shapes. These simple gestures seem to anchor the whole composition. There's something about their rhythmic repetition that feels both ancient and totally contemporary. Napanangka reminds me a little of Agnes Martin, in the sense that they both seem to be reaching for something beyond the visible world. Art isn’t about answers, it’s about embracing the questions.