AUDREY KNGWARREYE MORTON
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Artist Profile · Northern Territory
Audrey Kngwarreye Morton
Utopia batik pioneer painting Awelye, Honey Ant and Sweet Honey Grevillea.
Born
1954
Skin name
Kngwarreye (also Ngwarai)
Community
Ngkwarlerlanem and Arnkawenyerr, Utopia, NT
Mother’s Country
Antarrengeny
From batik to canvas
Audrey Kngwarreye Morton was born in 1954 to Mary Kemarre and Billy (Stockman) Pitjara Morton. With her sisters, she began her artistic life making batik, the craft that first brought the women of Utopia to wide attention.
She took part in the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) projects that produced Utopia – A Picture Story, a set of 88 silk batiks now in the Holmes à Court Collection, which toured throughout Australia.
Her first paintings on canvas came through CAAMA’s A Summer Project, the landmark program that gave Utopia’s women their first chance to paint in acrylic.
Her work
Audrey paints a wide range of Dreamings, including Awelye (women’s body paint designs) from her mother’s Country of Antarrengeny, Yerramp (honey ant), Mpwelarr (rainbow), Tharrkarr (sweet honey grevillea), Alpeyt (acacia flowers) and wildflower seeds.
Yerramp (Honey Ant)
Mpwelarr (Rainbow)
Tharrkarr (Sweet Honey Grevillea)
Alpeyt (Acacia Flowers)
Wildflower Seeds
Batik
Collections
- National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
- Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
- Museums Victoria, Melbourne
- Holmes à Court Collection, Perth
- Mbantua Gallery Permanent Collection, Alice Springs
Buying Audrey’s work
Buy through a recognised Indigenous art gallery, and always ask for a certificate of authenticity and provenance.
Paintings by Audrey Kngwarreye Morton on eBay
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