Queenie Lion Kemarre

Born: c. 1920

Deceased: 2020

Language Group: Alyawarre

Country: Irrultja and Atnwengerrp, Utopia Region, North East of Alice Springs, Northern Territory

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas and Linen, Batik on Silk and Cotton, Wood Carving

Subjects: Awelye (Women's Ceremony), Ntyeny Ngkwarl (Red Mallee Flower), Awele Awele (Bush Tomatoes), Awelye (Women's Ceremony) for Goanna, Scorpion Dreaming

Queenie was a senior woman of the Alyawarre speakers. She was involved with the summer canvas project of 1988-9 and earlier with the introduction of batik workshops at the Utopia community. Queenie is represented in the Holmes à Court collections, for sculpture, painting and batik.

Queenie was a well-known Utopia artist, rarely painting anything other than the body paint designs for women's ceremonies. She lived in the Utopia region with her large extended family.

Collections

Mbantua Gallery Collection, Alice Springs, NT

Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT

The Holmes à Court Collection, Perth, WA

Exhibitions

1989

Utopia Women's Paintings, the first Works on Canvas, A Summer Project, 1988-1989, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, NSW

1990

Utopia - A Picture Story, an Exhibition of 88 works on Silk by Utopian artists, Holmes à Court Collection, toured Eire and Scotland

1991

Australian Perspecta, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW

2002-2004

Mbantua Gallery USA exhibitions

2004-2006

Evolution of Utopia - opened by the Honorable Robert Hill, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, NT

References

Brody, A.

(1990) Utopia: a Picture Story, 88 Silk Batiks from the Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Heytesbury Holdings, Perth, WA

Brody, A.

(1989) Utopia Women's Paintings The First Works on Canvas, A Summer Project 1988-89, exhib.cat., Heytesbury Holdings, Perth, WA

Johnson, V.

(1994) The Dictionary of Western Desert Artists, Crafts Wales