Is the truth about this ‘Outback genius' more complex than the Tate makes out?
Perhaps Balshaw was galvanised by a research trip to, as she puts it, 'the red desert lands of Alhalker', in Australia's Northern Territory, where Kngwarray – who, according to the curators, extended 'a continuing cultural tradition much more ancient than any to have sprung from European soil' – was born in 1914. Certainly, the show exemplifies a recent turn towards indigenous art; this, rather than, say, yet another exhibition devoted to Henri Matisse or Pablo Picasso, is what gets Tate's curators going these days.
Given the 'bush' (or personal) name Kam, after the Aboriginal word for the seeds and seedpods of the 'pencil yam' (which later inspired a motif commonly found in her canvases), Kngwarray – whose early years predated the 'whitefeller' domination of Central Australia – only took up painting in 1988, towards the end of her life, having spent 11 years working in batik while participating in art-and-craft workshops. After a couple of introductory rooms, the exhibition gives the impression that, like Athena springing from the head of Zeus, she emerged as an artist fully formed.
Twenty-five surprisingly homogenous early paintings appear in a vast, open gallery, along with eight batiks (some of which seem to seethe with insect-like life). These acrylic pictures are mostly abstracted fields of dots, like blooms of lichen, or microbes multiplying on a microscope slide, but representing native seeds. Sometimes accompanied by interconnecting lines, they are superimposed on dun, reddish backgrounds redolent of the brick-coloured soil of Kngwarray's homeland.
Occasionally, schematic motifs, also associated with Alhalker Country, are perceptible: the distinctive shapes of local flora, an emu's three-toed footprints, the child-like silhouettes of geckos or blue-tongued lizards; often, there's a sense of something stirring and fluttering in scrubby undergrowth. In effect, they're not unlike those colour-blindness tests in which numbers are hidden among dots of contrasting hues.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tammy Hembrow asks fans if she has 'eyebrow blindness' as she debuts new look - amid viral trend that has women questioning their grooming choices
Tammy Hembrow has updated her eyebrows - and she's worried she's made a grave mistake. The 31-year-old influencer debuted her waxed brows in an Instagram Stories post on Tuesday, having trimmed them down from a bushier look. However, Tammy is unsure if the new look suits her, and has begged her fans for help. 'What do we think? Do I have eyebrow blindness?' she asked in the caption of her post. The accompanying clip showed Tammy working her angles in a mirror as she filmed herself with her phone. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. As she posed in side-profile and front-on, the designer seemed concerned by what she saw. Tammy had also posed the question to her fans the day before, also on Instagram Stories, and has evidently remained worried by her updated brows. The fitness influencer is taking part in a viral trend online where content creators question if they have 'eyebrow blindness'. The term rose to popularity on TikTok in recent months. Over the past decades, there have been tons of eyebrow trends that have taken the beauty world by storm. From skinny 'sperm' brows in the early 2000s, to the 2016 'block brows' inspired by Kylie Jenner, to the spiky soap brows of today - we've seen it all. Not to mention all of the viral products that were piled on, too, like the Anastasia Brow Dip and Wunderbrow gel. But when you look back on your previous eyebrow styles from years past, you may be thinking, 'What the heck was I doing?' 'What do we think? Do I have eyebrow blindness?' she asked in the caption of her post That is where eyebrow blindness comes in. Medical aesthetician Cassandra Bankson explained the term to USA Today, defining it as 'being blind to something that is trendy [but] not necessarily good for long term health or beauty.' Comedian Taylor Tomlinson also spoke about the phenomenon during a recent episode of her show, After Midnight, on CBS. She joked that it was an 'all-too common medical issue' where you're unable to tell that your eyebrows 'look insane.' The viral term has taken over the app, with tons of users posting some truly hilarious and shocking videos of what their eyebrows used to look like. And, it seems like there were various degrees of 'brow blindness' that people had, too, from super thin to super thick to barely there at all.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Martha Stewart enjoys a 'tryst' with hunky mystery man in Sydney mansion - but all is not what it seems
Celebrity chef Martha Stewart has emerged in a new video filmed in a Sydney mansion. The 83-year-old, who recently presented a talk at the Vivid Sydney Festival, can be seen keeping company with a 'mystery man' in the clip, in which the pair appeared to be dressed in matching satin bathrobes. At one point in the short clip, Martha was gazing lovingly as the man strides away from her, with part of his bare chest showing. However, it appears that the clip, shared to News on Tuesday, is actually part of an ad campaign featuring Stewart, who rose to fame in the 1980s behind a series of cookbooks and lifestyle brands and products. According to the report, Martha and her unnamed cast member filmed scenes for the ad at the Crypto Castle, a luxury coastal clifftop pad in Coogee, which is often used for commercial shoots. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. It comes after reports indicated that Stewart didn't have the best experience at Sydney's Vivid Festival back in May. The lifestyle guru was Down Under to present a talk titled In Conversation with Martha Stewart as part of the event. And according to insiders, the cooking and homewares entrepreneur was not impressed with the ICC theatre, which has hosted stars such as Elton John and Cher. Sources reported to Confidential that Martha was unhappy that she had to use a hand-held microphone throughout her 90-minute talk. However, Confidential's insiders told the publication that it was required because Martha had refused to use a headset for fear of messing up her hairdo. Martha Stewart didn't have the best experience at Sydney's Vivid Festival last month, according to reports. Pictured at Vivid She also rejected the option of using a lapel mic, reportedly because she was concerned it might damage her jacket. The publication also reported that Stewart disapproved of the vehicle that had been arranged for her because the window tinting was not dark enough. Stewart also shared a gripe about Sydney Airport, with the entrepreneur complaining that the terminal was 'too big' and that she had to walk 'too far'. Stewart did find something to her liking during her trip. The culinary guru dined at Totti's, a mecca for local and international celebrities, reportedly after a friend's recommendation. The Merivale-owned restaurant, known for its famous bread and small plates, as well as its signature rich pasta dishes, is beloved by the city's in-crowd. We asked around about what America's kitchen queen thought of her dining experience and found a diner who overheard Martha's musings. 'She was impressed. She had a great time and ate everything,' they said, adding that she 'was really lovely', 'super friendly' and asked the staff 'lots of questions'. The cookbook author 'enjoyed a large selection of antipasti' accompanied by the signature wood-fired bread, but our spy didn't stay long enough to see if she sampled any of the mains. She had 'San Pellegrino sparkling water', said our source, and 'seemed very interested in the produce, asking the waiters lots of questions.' Totti's made a name for itself as the place to be among Sydney's elites after it first opened its doors at The Royal Bondi in December 2018. Totti's interior was inspired by an Italian taverna, featuring old timber chairs, pared-back walls and huge olive trees filling out the lavish courtyard.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mary Fowler fuels speculation her romance with Nathan Cleary is in trouble with a VERY telling series of photos
Mary Fowler has fuelled rumours that her relationship with Nathan Cleary might be on the rocks. The Matildas star jetted back Down Under last Wednesday and has been catching up with family and friends since. However, Cleary, who usually meets her at the airport, was nowhere to be seen as she arrived home in Australia, with the injured Manchester City star emerging from the airport with a driver helping her with her bags. Over the weekend, Fowler was also seen paying the Panthers half-back a quick visit to his home in Sydney, but the pair were again not seen together. The 22-year-old, who has been ruled out until next year after she sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) during City's Women's FA Cup semi-final clash against rivals Manchester United in April, has now taken to Instagram to publish a few snaps from the last few days. 'Free art,' she captioned the string of images and videos. Four of those clips included shots of her filming through the window during her flight, showcasing several stunning sunsets and vistas of a coastline. Fowler published a picture of a coffee as part of the set of photos, which had a love-heart shape forming in its milk, as well as a picture of a cloud formation, which also appeared to embody a similar shape. It also appears she has been spending some time with one of her Matildas team-mates, Lydia Williams. The Man City forward posted a snap of Williams appearing to drop her off at the airport, with a rainbow curving its way across the sky, as well as a snap of Williams' dog, Caviar, having a snooze in the back seat of the vehicle. Williams re-posted the image onto her own story, writing: 'Rainbows and building bands.' She also commented on Fowler's Instagram post, writing: 'Building The Band marathon.' The comment appears to be a reference to Netflix's new reality series where singers compete for a shot at forming the next big music group. Fowler had been unable to travel home following the conclusion of the Women's Super League season, after undergoing surgery on her knee. The footballer, who hails from Cairns, had previously explained that she had switched her allegiance from supporting Queensland to New South Wales because of Cleary. However, she was not present during this year's State of Origin Series, as the Panthers half-back was unable to lead his team to retain the shield at the Accor Stadium. In the past, the sporting couple has gone out of their way to support each other. Cleary flew over to Europe at the back end of last year. He followed the Matildas around the continent, notably going to support Fowler as the side took on Switzerland in an international friendly. Fowler, meanwhile, paid tribute to her boyfriend by publishing a snap of herself online wearing a Panthers jersey, after the team clinched their fourth-straight NRL premiership. But in the past month, Cleary and Fowler have both stopped posting about each other on Instagram. The Panthers star has not liked one of Fowler's posts since June 6 - which was the most recent time he was pictured on her account. The collection of images in that post had included snaps of their trip to the UK at the end of last year, one of which was an image of the pair taking a selfie together, smiling from ear to ear. 'Must be nice having a personal photographer follow you around,' Cleary had joked, noting that Fowler had published several snaps that he had taken of her walking through an old castle. It comes as a surprise, with the couple having regularly shared insights into their lives and relationship on social media, since they first went public back in 2023. In March, Fowler opened up on their relationship, revealing that the pair didn't really flirt the first time they met. 'We actually didn't flirt at all when we were texting,' she said. 'We just had really deep, genuine conversations. 'It would be, like, paragraph message[s], just about the way that we think about life. 'It was nice that it started that way, because I don't think I could do long-distance with someone that wasn't interesting to talk to.' She also gave her fans an eye-opening look into her plans for the future, admitting she doesn't see herself playing full-time in Australia 'anytime soon - if ever'. 'I really want to have a big family,' she added. Fowler has also removed a set of paw prints from her Instagram bio, which was understood to be a nod to the paw prints Cleary has displayed on his Instagram account, representative of his affiliation to the Panthers. Meanwhile, the Manchester City star also chose not to like his most recent post about his feelings of 'self-loathing and hurt' following NSW's State of Origin III thumping by Queensland. Another sign of a possible change to their relationship can be found on Instagram, where Nathan has been using paw-print emojis on his bio (circled) Despite concerns arising over their relationship, Fowler has been enjoying spending time back at home with her family and friends. She took to Instagram to publish a heartwarming image of her and her mum showing off their makeup routines, several images of herself spending time with her family, and an image of how her rehabilitation is progressing. And it appears her recovery is going very well. Fowler has shared images and videos of her back in the gym, working on the strength in her injured leg. The footy star was seen jumping without discomfort, a great sign, and also revealed the steps she's taking to keep progressing after such a horrible injury. 'I have recently made a conscious effort to think that I don't have like a bad knee that needs to be fixed, but I'm getting an upgrade and I'm getting an even better knee,' she said last month.
