Awelye 1990

Emily Kame Kngwarreye made this painting, Awelye, with dots and circular shapes in colors like coral pink and aqua blue. Imagine her process; the canvas laid out on the ground, perhaps, and Emily squatting over it for hours, patiently dabbing and dotting with her brush. I can’t help but wonder what was going through her mind as she built up these layers of color. What was she trying to communicate or remember? Those coral forms feel like an invitation, like a dance, or maybe like stories being told around a campfire. You can feel the hand, the physical engagement with the surface, the paint carefully applied dot after dot. It’s almost meditative. I think of other artists like Agnes Martin who used repetitive marks to create a feeling of calm and contemplation. Each artist brings their own unique experiences and perspectives to the canvas, and together they create a dialogue that transcends time and place. It shows how painting can be a deeply personal, embodied expression, offering multiple layers of meaning that shift and change with each viewing.