Glady Kemarre
Glady Kemarre
Born: c. 1951
Deceased: 2016
Language Group: Anmatyerre
Country: Ahalpere, Utopia Region, North East of Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas and Linen, Batik on Silk, Wood Carving
Subjects: Anwekety (Conkerberry), Awelye (Women's Ceremony), Life and Death Dreaming, Bush Tucker, Camp Scene
Glady Kemarre, a well known Utopia artist, began her career in the late 1970's with the medium of batik. Over 80 other Utopia women participated in this practice for over a decade before the acrylics on canvas movement swept Utopia in the late 1980's. Glady swiftly changed mediums, as did many others, to the ease and liberation of acrylics. Having painted now for us for many years, Glady has become known to us as a fine dot artist with a quiet yet humorous spirit! Though her ability to speak English is not fluent, she is fun to converse with and always has an intelligible glint in her eyes. Glady usually resides with her close relatives Kathleen Ngale, Polly Ngale and Angelina Ngale in Utopia. The art of painting is a very social practice for Glady and the women of her community. Glady rarely paints anything other than the Anwekety Story, whereby fine dot work represents the sweet black conkerberry (anwekety in Glady's native language).
Collections
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC
Mbantua Gallery Collection, Alice Springs, NT
The Holmes à Court Collection, Perth, WA
Exhibitions
1990
Utopia - A Picture Story, an Exhibition of 88 works on Silk by Utopian artists, Holmes à Court Collection, toured Eire and Scotland
1994
Central Australian Aboriginal Art and Craft Exhibition, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT
1998
Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
2004-2006
Evolution of Utopia - opened by the Honorable Robert Hill, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
2008
Emily and Her Legacy, Hillside Gallery with Coo-ee Art Sydney, Tokyo, Japan
2014
Narrativa Herióca - Pintura Aborígine do Deserto Australiano - Renaissance Hotel, São Paulo, Brazil
References