Emily Kam Kngwarray

The companion book to a major exhibition at the Tate celebrating the monumental art of the renowned Australian artist Emily Kam Kngwarray

Emily Kam Kngwarray (c.1914–1996) translated her lived experience and cultural engagement with her Anmatyerr homelands in Central Australia into vibrant batiks and monumental paintings on canvas. In her vast and astonishing oeuvre, Kngwarray embodied the majestic scope of her Country and ancestral heritage.

She layered motifs representing the plants, animals and geological features that formed the desert ecosystems around her. Her unique style and powerful creative vision redefined Aboriginal art and gained worldwide attention. Created in collaboration with the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), this is the first large-scale presentation of the artist's work ever held in Europe and a celebration of her astonishing career. Generously illustrated, the publication brings together Kngwarray's most significant works and includes archival material and a visual record of community consultations and visits to Kngwarray's Country. 

The publication and exhibition has been organised by Tate Modern and the National Gallery of Australia based on an exhibition and curated by Kelli Cole, Warumungu and Luritja peoples and Hetti Perkins, Arrernte and Kalkadoon peoples.

Details

• Author: Kelli Cole, Director of Curatorial & Engagement, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Gallery of Australia.
  
• Paperback: 256 pages 
• ISBN: 9781849769778
• Publication date: July 2025
• Dimensions: 24.1 x 28.1 cm