The paintings of the Aboriginal artist Emily Kam Kngwarray (c. 1914–96) may seem abstract, but they are in fact precise mappings of the landscape and environment that she and her community inhabited in the Northern Territory of Australia. This show at Tate Modern gives British audiences a chance to get acquainted with her luminous, often large-scale works, which teem with detail (10 July–11 January 2026). Given the assuredness of her technique, it’s remarkable that Kngwarray did not take up painting until her seventies, though that’s not to say she had no artistic experience: as an elder of her community in Alhalker Country, she performed ceremonies that involved painting her own skin and that of other women. Highlights of the show include Mern angerr (1992), in which the vivid yellow represents the colour of the vines of the anwerlarr (pencil yam), and The Alhalker suite (1993), which comprises 22 works that evoke the changing of the seasons in Alhalker Country.
Find out more from the Tate’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary
