Exhibition EMILY KAM KNGWARRAY

Description

From June 14 to November 8, 2026, the Fondation Opale (Lens/Crans-Montana) is presenting a solo exhibition dedicated to Emily Kam Kngwarray, one of the most influential figures in 20th-century contemporary art, on the 30th anniversary of her death. Organized in close collaboration with Tate Modern and the National Gallery of Australia, the exhibition features more than 80 works and is the most comprehensive retrospective dedicated to this artist in Europe to date. Emily Kam Kngwarray was from the Sandover region in Australia's Northern Territory and began painting at around 74 years old. She first discovered batik techniques in the Utopia community in the late 1970s before turning to acrylic painting on canvas. Her early works are characterized by color oscillations within a limited palette. In the last years of her life, she underwent a radical stylistic shift towards powerful line compositions and an expanded color palette. Between 1988 and 1996, during a short yet extraordinarily productive eight-year creative phase, Emily Kam Kngwarray created more than 3,000 works. Within a few years, she developed a visual language of remarkable richness and established herself as one of the great artistic personalities of the 20th century. This exhibition brings together works from more than 25 lenders, including five Australian institutions, highlighting the complexity of her artistic journey and the development of her practice. It particularly includes batik works from her very first studio in Utopia and representative works from her entire career, including some presented at the Venice Biennale, demonstrating the richness and diversity of her oeuvre. IMAGE SOURCE: Emily Kam Kngwarray (ca. 1914–1996) "My Country II," 1992 (excerpt) Acrylic on canvas Collection Bérengère Primat, with kind permission of Fondation Opale© Emily Kam Kngwarray/Copyright Agency/ 2026, ProLitteris, Zurich All rights reserved. Reproduction and any other use of the works beyond individual and private viewing are prohibited without permission from ProLitteris. Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.

Highlights

• Solo exhibition of Emily Kam Kngwarray
• More than 80 works in the most extensive retrospective in Europe
• Exhibition from June 14 to November 8, 2026

General Information

The Fondation Opale in Lens/Crans-Montana presents a comprehensive retrospective of the Anmatyerr artist Emily Kam Kngwarray on the occasion of her 30th death anniversary. The exhibition features works created between 1988 and 1996 and highlights her development from batik techniques to acrylic painting.

Location

Route de Crans 1, 1978 Lens, Switzerland

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