Indigenous
Art of the Dreamtime Josie Petrick Kemare has emerged from Utopia (250km N-E of Alice Springs) as an artist displaying innovative interpretations of her Dreamings, culture, and religion through her bold and dynamic approach to canvas.
Josie was born c.1953 at Santa Teresa, an Aboriginal Community some 80km to the south of Alice Springs but has lived her adult life at the isolated and scattered Utopia community. She is an Anmatyerre woman. Josie began painting as recently as 1992 and has already created a national and international following for her work.
She creates visual harmony within her dotted constructions, capturing the essence of the Utopian landscape as she experiences it in desert life. Josie uses black backgrounds to her canvasses to enhance the dynamics of colour interactions on the surfaces of her paintings. Her work is a fine example of the development of Central Desert dot painting from traditional and ‘tight’ constructions to a fusion of abstracted forms manifesting a spiritual and cultural celebration.
Since the introduction of acrylic paints and canvas, Aboriginal art has transgressed from traditional symbols representing ceremonial ritual and story telling to an international phenomenon exploring the realms of contemporary abstraction. The development of the dot as a visual tool in Central Desert art (introduced, in part, as a visual means of camouflaging sacred symbols) unconsciously triggered an art movement that is rapidly expanding and ever changing. The once submissive dot technique applied as a background to symbols representing specific stories of the Dreamtime, has developed into a distinctive genre of painting within itself. Emily Kame Kngwarreye was the first exponent of dot abstraction with her paintings describing her country before and after the rains in the Aboriginal community of Utopia. As Emily is the precursor of abstraction in Central Desert Art, Josie Petrick Kemarre is predicted to be the successor.
Her works were included in the recent “Out of Australia” exhibition at Lui Hai-Su National Art Museum, Shanghai China, Tjinytjilpa, The Dotted Design, Embassy of Australia, Washington Dc and at the Old Treasury Building, Melbourne. Her works are included in important collections such as Aboriginal Art Galleries of Australia Melbourne; Jinta Desert Art Sydney; and Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery Alice Springs and the Charles Sturt University.
This painting depicts an abundance of wild bush berries, associated with the area of Utopia, North East of Alice Springs, depicting the different stages of the bush berry plant’s life cycle. The vibrant colouring in the painting reflects the landscape after the rain where the desert transforms from bareness to abundant vegetation. This transformation is not only in growth, but also in colour and form. These edible fruits, the bush berries, can be eaten either raw or cooked and are collected on a daily basis by Aboriginal women. In depicting the bush tucker Josie Petrick Kemarre’s painting also celebrates fertility and the recurring seasons. The dot work is symbolic of the journey paths and song lines for the Bush Berry Dreaming. |
