Art of the emu

By Casey Neill
AN EXTENSIVE and unique collection of work from Aboriginal artist Kudditji Kngwarreye is on display at Burrinja.
Kudditji hails from the Northern Territory’s Utopia community. He was one of the first established male artists from the region.
Burrinja Visual Arts Co-ordinator Tilla Buden said the exhibition offered a rare insight into how Kudditji’s distinctive style had developed.
“This exhibition brings together a unique retrospective of his significant works from the last 20 years,” she said.
Kudditji’s older sister was the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye.
Her 1995 painting Earth’s Creation sold for an Aboriginal artwork record $1.056 million in 2007.
She was famous for her use of colour and unique brushstroke.
Kudditji also used looser brushstroke in large blocks of colour later in his work.
His style has developed significantly over the years from the sophisticated dot work that dominated his early career.
But Kudditji’s ancestral totem the Emu has remained a strong feature.
Ms Buden thanked Hank Ebes and Neil McLeod for loaning Burrinja the works.
“And allowing us to share this artist’s beautiful work and story with the hills community,” she said.
Mr Ebes will officially open the exhibition at 7pm on Friday 13 February.
The art collector and gallery owner helped establish the Aboriginal art movement and has collected over 11,000 Aboriginal art works since the 1970s.
The Kudditji Kngwarreye exhibition is on at Burrinja, 351 Glenfern Road, Upwey, until 14 April.