Kaakaratintja 1996

Makinti Napanangka made this painting, called Kaakaratintja, with layers of gestural marks in a palette of blues, oranges and yellows. I imagine she started with a flurry of marks across the surface, shifting and emerging through intuition. Looking at this piece, I sympathize with the artist, wondering what it might have been like to create it. I think about the texture, the color and the feel of the surface. The paint is thick and applied with a kind of raw energy. See that orange circle, how it contains a blue one, a grey one? That gesture communicates a feeling, an intention. It feels symbolic. Makinti's work connects to the wider practice of mark-making artists like Cy Twombly, or even Joan Mitchell, in the sense that they’re all invested in the simple act of putting paint on a surface. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. The painting embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.