Summer Project
Earlier this year, the National Gallery of Australia hosted a fantastic exhibit, Summer Project, which offered a glimpse into the artistic legacy of Central Australia's Utopia and Sandover regions.
Utopia is located in the Eastern Central Desert of the Northern Territory in Australia, about 240 kilometers northeast of Alice Springs. It has an area of approximately 3,500 square kilometers. Utopia is essentially a “neighborhood” within the Sandover region.
The entire region is traditionally owned by the Anmatyerr and Alyawarr Aboriginal peoples. The name Utopia was given to the area by German settlers in the 1920s. Utopia became known in the art world due to the distinctive art produced by its Aboriginal inhabitants, particularly starting in the late 1970s with the introduction of batik and later with acrylic paintings on canvas. The art from this region—including works by Emily Kam Kngwarray—has become highly regarded in the Australian and international art scenes.
This landmark collection showcases 81 paintings created between 1988 and 1989, all by Anmatyerr and Alyawarr women artists. The exhibition's significance lies in its artistic merit and historical context, marking a pivotal moment in the recognition and appreciation of Aboriginal art on a national and international scale.
First exhibited in Sydney in 1989, Summer Project introduced the world to Emily Kam Kngwarray's first canvas work, Emu Woman (1988–89). This piece, which graced the cover of the exhibition catalog, heralded the beginning of Kngwarray's illustrious career as a painter. Kngwarray's journey into visual arts began a decade earlier, in 1977, when she learned batik techniques at Utopia. Her transition to canvas painting in the late 1980s coincided with a broader movement of Aboriginal artists exploring new media and gaining recognition in the mainstream art world.
The collection encompasses a rich tapestry of themes, reflecting the complex relationships between the Anmatyerr and Alyawarr artists and their culture and Country. The paintings depict ceremonial scenes, including women's awely(ceremonial body painting) and representations of everyday life. These include gatherings with family, hunting bush animals, and collecting bush foods. Each work is a visual narrative, preserving and communicating centuries-old traditions and connections to the land.
Emily Kam Kngwarray
The exhibition, which was displayed as the entry to a broader Emily Kam Kngwarray exhibition at the NGA, was a unique opportunity to engage with Aboriginal Australian art and culture. Unlike the more familiar dot paintings often associated with Aboriginal art, these works showcase diverse styles and techniques. They offer insight into a culture that, like Native American cultures, has faced historical marginalization but continues to assert its identity and rights through artistic expression. The Summer Project is also noteworthy because it exclusively features the often-overlooked contributions of Aboriginal women to the art world and moves past stereotypical representations to showcase individual styles and perspectives.
This show was the first time in 35 years that the entire Summer Project collection has been shown at once. The wall of paintings lets us fully appreciate the project's coherence. It was a rare opportunity to see the early stages of a movement that would reshape the landscape of Australian art and bring international attention to Aboriginal artists.
I hope you like it as much as we did.
