Exhibition: Emily Kam Kngwarray

Description

From June 14 to November 8, 2026, the Fondation Opale (Lens/Crans-Montana) will present a monographic exhibition on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the death of the Anmatyerr artist Emily Kam Kngwarray (c. 1914-1996), dedicated to one of the most significant figures in 20th-century contemporary art. Organized in close collaboration with the Tate Modern and the National Gallery of Australia, the exhibition features more than 80 works and represents the most comprehensive retrospective of the artist in Europe to date. Emily Kam Kngwarray hails from the Sandover region in Australia's Northern Territory and only started painting at around 74 years old. In the late 1970s, she first discovered batik within the Utopia community before turning to acrylic painting on canvas in the late 1980s. Her early works are characterized by color vibrations within a limited palette. In the last years of her life, she underwent a radical stylistic change towards powerful line compositions and an expanded color palette. Between 1988 and 1996, Emily Kam Kngwarray created more than 3,000 works in just eight years—a remarkably short yet extraordinarily productive creative phase. Within a few years, she developed a visual language of remarkable diversity and established herself as one of the major artistic personalities of the 20th century. The exhibition includes works from more than 25 lenders, including five Australian institutions, highlighting the density of her artistic career and the development of her practice. Among the works displayed are batiks from her first studio in Utopia and pieces from all periods of her career, including works presented at the Venice Biennale, vividly illustrating the diversity and richness of her artistic output.