Exhibition title/s: The Ancient PRESENT II
Exhibition duration: 24 July – 30 August 2025
Where: FireWorks Gallery, 9/31 Thompson St, Bowen Hills
Exhibition talks:Saturday 9 August 230-315PM Floor Talk Utopia (Art & Context) with Michael Eather & 22 August 530-7PM Panel Discussion with Annie Myer + Dr. Marie Geissler
The Ancient PRESENT II brings together the works of four Anmatyerr women artists from the Utopia region of the Northern Territory: Kathleen Kngale, Polly Kngale, Angelina Kngale, and Emily Kngwarreye. In the ground floor gallery, Kathleen’s softly toned acrylic paintings on linen are showcased, while on the mezzanine, works by all four artists are presented in a celebration of shared lineage and influence.
Kathleen Kngale’s paintings present a subliminal mapping of cultural and ecological knowledge. Her spontaneous, free-flowing stippled technique creates networks of fine, painterly dots that evoke seasonal cycles - wildflower blooms, ripening bush fruit, and the sacred rhythms of women’s Awelye ceremonies. Art historian and academic Dr. Marie Geissler describes the artist’s work - “A homage to her stewardship of ‘Country,’ Kathleen’s paintings express her understandings of the complex and intricate nature of the local ecologies, essential for survival”.
In the mezzanine gallery, Polly Kngale’s paintings pulse with luminous fields of colour - soft veils of yellow, red and white. These works refer to the dazzling flowering of the desert landscape and to the artist’s Dreaming: Anwekety (Bush Plum). Geissler describes these as “subtle orchestrations” recalling the short-lived bounty of the bush plum, and the masses of white flowers that precede them. A dazzling optical spectacle, the artist reflects this in areas of dotted white which reference the masses of white flowers that bloom in season. Furthermore, yellow fields reflect the seeds eagerly gathered by emus — a dynamic interplay between land, life, and symbolism.
The profound legacy of Emily Kngwarreye is expressed through a major work, Alalgura Winter. Geissler describes how, “The creative wave that Emily fostered at Utopia paved the way for the success of many women artists in the community. They successfully adapted her working vocabulary for their own purposes”. “Her monumental works” says Geissler, are “landscapes of the mind,” and “portals to an idealised world that remind us of the pristine beauty of ‘Country.’” Through her influence, the women of Utopia, including surviving sister Angelina Kngale, developed their own similar yet unique visual languages, adapting Emily’s use of vibrant colour, gestural brushwork, fine stippling and fluid lines.
FireWorks Gallery Director, Michael Eather, comments that “This second iteration of the Ancient PRESENT series celebrates the dynamic continuum of Aboriginal painting traditions. We sometimes forget that this is the oldest living culture in the world. Yet, it is also modern art, created for the here and now”.
MEDIA RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Artwork prices range from: $13,500 - $800,000