Untitled (body Painting Series) 1996

Emily Kame Kngwarreye made this painting, part of her ‘Body Painting Series’, using broad strokes of white paint against a black background. Can you feel the rhythm and movement of her hand? Imagine the dance between intention and chance as she laid down each mark, one after another, finding a groove. I can imagine Emily, in that moment, totally focused, feeling each gesture as it happened—a kind of meditation through action. I wonder if she was thinking about Agnes Martin? The surface has a beautiful raw quality, like something primal, which is set against a modern, minimalist gesture. The paint is relatively thin and dry, which gives the painting a certain kind of lightness. There's a feeling of openness in her paintings, as if each one is connected to the other. Her unique mark-making inspires the artist and viewer to move beyond the known and reach for the unknown. That’s what painting is all about, right?