Body Paint, 2009, Abie Loy Kemarre (b. 1974)

Region: Utopia, Northern Territory
Language Group: Anmatyerre
Artist:  Abie Loy Kemarre (b. 1974)
Title:  Body Painting
Date:  2009

Anmatyerre paintings, such as this superb example, have developed from the patterns and designs used in ritual body painting ceremonies. These designs vary depending on their subject, the season, and the seniority of the women. In the ceremonial designs, a variety of powders ground from charcoal and yellow and red ochres are finger-painted on the breasts and upper bodies of the singers and dancers. The paintings show lines of varying lengths and widths, and a variety of colors is used to build up these Dreamings.

Background:  Abie Loy is the eldest of five children and was born at Utopia station, about 270km northeast of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Abie definitely has painting in her blood: being the daughter of Margaret Loy Pula (who won the Wynne Prize in 2012) and Ray Loy Pula. Her aunt is the celebrated artist Gloria Petyarre, and her grandmother is the equally respected senior female artist Kathleen Petyarre.

A very innovative mid-career artist, she began painting at the age of 19. She was mentored by her grandmother Kathleen Petyarre, who taught her the methodology of using details and tiny shimmering dotting to create complex optical effects.  Over the years, Abie further developed her skills as an artist to become an extraordinarily talented colorist and designer, experimenting with elements of line, color, and form.

Exhibitions:
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2004 Abie Loy Kemarre, Gadfly Gallery, Perth
2004 Abie Loy Kemarre, Coo-ee Gallery, Sydney
2003 Abie Loy Kemarre, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne

Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 Utopia in Colours, Musee de l'art aborigene australien, Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, Motiers, Switzerland
2023 Central Desert Showcase, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2023 Top 20 of 2022, Art Mob, Hobart
2022 Painting Words, Cooee Gallery, Redfern
2022 Utopia & Beyond, Art Mob, Hobart
2022 Top 20 2022, Art Mob, Hobart
2022 Synergy 2022, First Nations Artists from around Australia, Everywhen Art, Shoreham VIC
2021 Top 20 2021, Art Mob, Hobart
2021 Body Line, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane
2021 Big Names Little Paintings, Cooee Art Gallery, Sydney
2020 Sounds of Summer, Japingka Gallery, Perth
2020 Central Focus, Art Mob, Hobart
2020 Top 20 Exhibition, Art Mob, Hobart
2020 Director's Choice 2020, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2020 Spring, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane
2019 Summer Show & Art Parade, Salt, Queenscliff, VIC
2019 Beyond Time, Australian Aboriginal Art, Booker Lowe Gallery, Houston, TX, USA
2019 defining tradition | black + white, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2019 International Women's Day, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2018 My Country, Salt, Queenscliff, VIC
2017 On Country: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Kaplan-Levi Gift, Metropolitan Museum of Contemporary Art, New York
2017 Sacred Marks, JGM Gallery, London
2016 O Tempo Dos Sonhos, Arte Aborigene Contemporanea da Australia, Caixa Cultural, Sao Paolo
2010 Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2008 Emily and her Legacy, Hillside Gallery, Tokyo
2007 Yapa Dreaming, Yapa Gallery, Paris
2004 Arrnkerthe, Coo-ee Gallery, Sydney
2003 Mbantua Gallery, USA Exhibition Tour
2003 My Grandmother and Me, Walkabout Gallery, Alice Springs
2003 Abie Loy Kemarre - Recent Paintings, Fire-works Gallery, Brisbane
2002 Mbantua Gallery, USA Exhibition Tour
2002 Abie Loy & Violet Petyarre - Recent Paintings, Mary Place Gallery, Paddington NSW
2001 15th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Exhibition, Darwin
2000 The Collection, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide
2000 Utopia, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne
1999 North by North East: Landscape & Ceremonial paintings from Utopia, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne
1999 SALA Week, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide
1999 Joint Indonesian: Utopia Batik Workshop for the Third Pacific Arts
1999 Utopia: Recent Works, King Street Gallery, Perth
1998 Our Country Then and Now, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide
1998 Raiki Wara: Long Cloth from Aboriginal Australia and the Torres Strait, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
1998 Utopia Dreamings, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle
1997 Shliderijen uit Utopia, Songlines Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1997 Dreampower: the Art of Contemporary Aboriginal Australia, Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
1997 The Alice Prize Art Exhibition, Alice Springs

Awards and Recognition
2001 18th NATSIAA, Darwin - Finalist
2001 15th NATSIAA, Darwin - Finalist
1997 14th NATSIAA, Darwin - Finalist

Collections
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
The Kelton Collection, Santa Monica, USA
Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth
Adelaide University Art Collection, Adelaide
Festival of Arts Foundation Collection, Adelaide
Mbantua Gallery Permanent Collection, Alice Springs
Kaplan and Levi Collection, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle
Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, Motiers, Switzerland

Medium: synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Dimensions: 41 x 41 inches. (104.1 x 104.1 cm.) Not stretched.

Condition:  Unstretched, in very good condition overall.

Provenance: Daniel Becker, The Aboriginal Art House, Adelaide, cat. no. ALK 101020, Oct. 2010, acquired from the above in 2010, Private Collection, Washington, D.C.