Katie Morton Kemarre B.1943

Ancient culture of 60 thousand years gave the World its most exciting Contemporary Art

If you love Art of impeccable provenance, the art you want is at Galeria Aniela

Katie Kemarre is a renowned Australian Aboriginal artist. Her artistic career began in the early 1970's with the Utopia Women's Batik Group. Katie participated in the Utopia 'A Picture Story Exhibition' Utopian artists, toured Australia & overseas in 1988.

Katie's work is held in international collections including Richard Kelton Foundation Santa Monica, Art Gallery of NSW, Artbank, World Vision, Art Gallery of WA, Museum of Victoria, Flinders University.

Katie Kemarre is successful in the World Art Market, and in 2025 she exhibited in Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery in London, and showcase in Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA)

Katie’s state-of-the-art, bird’s-eye-view, mesmerizing, and unique abstract landscapes have the sheer physical presence of contemporary works of art. They build a multi-dimensional topography of Utopia, capturing its depth, space, and seasonal changes.
 

Katie Kemarre
My Country MB031413
Acrylic on linen on Board

125 x 50cm
Framed: 135 x 60cm

Price: Enquire

Katie Kemarre
Altyerre MB031682
Acrylic on linen on board

95 x 35 cm
Framed: 135 cm x 45 cm

Price: Enquire

Katie Kemarre
Kurrajong MB034249
Acrylic on linen on Board

125 x 50 cm
Framed: 135 x 60 cm

Price:  Enquire

Price: Enquire

Katie Kemarre
My Country MB033231
Acrylic on linen on board

95 x 35 cm
Framed: 135 x 45 cm

Price: SOLD

Katie Kemarre work is held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) MCA (8 Sep-7 Nov 1993) Artists: Katie Kemarre, Lucky Kngwarreye, Audrey Kngwarreye, Hazel Kngwarreye, Janice Kngwarreye, Lilly Kngwarreye, Wally Pwerle.
 

Katie has also been involved in wood figures carvings.
 

Subject(s):
Antarrengeny Country, Camp Scenes, Apeng (Kurrajong) Dreaming, Awely (Women’s Ceremony and body paint designs)

The important Dreaming for Katie depicted in her work is the Kurrajong medicine tree Dreaming - Merne Ngkweyang (Kurrajong Seed).

Katie designs are inspired by beautiful Kurrajong flowers, seeds and leaves.

The Kurrajong Tree, genus Brachychiton belongs the family Sterculeaceae, and all the species are native to Australia.  The ones in cultivation in California are trees, but there are also some species which grow as shrubs.  Some kinds develop fat trunks, and are sometimes referred to as “bottle trees” or “Australian Bottle Trees”.  One of these is Brachychiton populneus.

Museum Art Gallery Northern Territory Darwin

Women Ceremony - Makeup Ceremony

The linear designs in Kathleen’s painting represent women ceremony, their travel and the designs of body paint (Awelye).

In 21st century language: women use makeup. Aboriginal Women manufacturer their own natural products to paint their body for the ceremonies.

The paints are the colored products intended to alter women appearance are are decorative cosmetics. Widely advertised the Mineral makeup (recently discovered) has been used by Aboriginal women for over 60000 years.

In Europe Cosmetics have been in use for thousands of years using ceruse (white lead), to cover the face during the Renaissance, (blindness caused by the mascara Lash Lure during the early 20th century). Romans and Ancient Egyptians used cosmetics containing poisonous mercury and often lead. However Aboriginal Women Cosmetics include only natural earth grounded Powders (red and yellow clays (ochre ), charcoal and Ash.

Aboriginal Women apply paint on the whole body, with a tool that is flat soft padding stick called (typale) like a Makeup brush.

They paint their body designs on the faces and also, used the body paint, onto Women chest, breasts, arms as well as their thighs.

Each woman can play a makeup Artist and takes her turn to be “painted-up”. During the Ceremony Aboriginal Women sing the songs associated with their (awely).

Women perform (awely) ceremonies to feel good and to demonstrate respect for themselves, their country and the total well-being and health of the community as well as their own.

Aboriginal Woman have been applying natural grounded earth powders makeup cosmetic for over 6000 years.

However the first archaeological evidence of cosmetics usage was found in Egypt around 3500 BC during the Ancient Egypt times with some of royalty owning make-up, such as Nefertiti, Nefertari, mask of Tutankhamun. In Europe in the Middle Ages women like a pale-skinned complexion, which was achieved through either applying pastes of lead, chalk, or flour, or by bloodletting, also put white lead pigment that was known as ceruse (white lead) on their faces to appear to have pale skin. Cosmetic use was frowned upon at many points in Western history.

For example, in the 19th century, make-up was used primarily by prostitutes, and Queen Victoria publicly declared makeup improper, vulgar, and acceptable only for use by actors. European Women in the 19th century liked to be thought of as fragile ladies. They compared themselves to delicate flowers and emphasized their delicacy and femininity. They aimed always to look pale and interesting. Sometimes ladies discreetly used a little rouge on the cheeks, and used "belladonna" to dilate their eyes to make their eyes stand out more.

Make-up was frowned upon in general especially during the 1870s when social etiquette became more rigid. Actresses however were allowed to use make up and famous beauties such as Sarah Bernhardt and Lillie Langtry could be powdered. Most cosmetic products available in the world were still either chemically dubious, or found in the kitchen amid food colorings, berries and beetroot. By the middle of the 20th century, cosmetics were in widespread use by women in nearly all industrial societies around the world.

In ancient times aboriginal people are hunting and gathering for bush food. They are pictured carrying traditional implements including boomerangs, coolamons (carved wooden bowls) and digging sticks. Traditionally these were made of hard wood such as mallee or mulga; the sticks heavy enough to club smaller animals and doubled as a prod for cooking on the fire. 

In the coolamons, edible grubs can be seen along with other bush fruits and edible seeds (ntang ngkweyang) from the Kurrajong tree that have been collected. The people are surrounded by Kurrajong trees which are denoted by the brown seed pods found on their branches.

There is an ancient Dreamtime story belonging to the Kurrajong seed which lies in the heart of Alyawarr land in Katie’s country, Antarrengeny, north east of Alice Springs. It was an important and nutritious food source. Not a habitual practice now, the Aboriginal people would collect these seeds, burn them to remove small hairs, and grind them into a paste for making damper (bread).

Katie Kemarre and her people still collect many traditional bush foods today with readymade tools such as poles and empty flour drums.

Every so often, Katie and other members of her community paint camp scenes like this. In fact, there was a period in the 1990's where they were quite prevalent. They have been described as naive depictions or primitive portrayals of traditional bush life. Katie's style of painting is generally fluid; that is not set on any one particular style or subject. She often features the Kurrajong seed which is an important Dreamtime story for the people of her country but there is no strict style that she emulates. In recent months we see her move back to more traditional symbols and images and we are happy to highlight this unique artwork.

EXHIBITIONS

1989 Utopia Women’s Paintings, the First Works On Canvas, A Summer Project, 1988-89, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney

Bibliography  Literature Source & FURTHER REFERENCES

Australian Aboriginal Artist dictionary of biographies Central Desert, Western Desert & Kimberley Region Kreczmanski, Janusz B & Birnberg, Margo JB Publishing Australia, Marleston, 2004

Brody, A. (1989) Utopia Women's Paintings, The First Works on Canvas, A Summer Project 1988-89, exhib.cat., Heytesbury Holdings, Perth, WA

Brody, A. (1990) Utopia: a Picture Story, 88 Silk Batiks from the Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Heytesbury Holdings, Perth, WA

Aratjara (1993) Art of the First Australians: Traditional and Contemporary Works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artists, exhib. Cat. (conceived and designed by Bernard Luthi in collaboration with Gary Lee), Dumont, Buchverlag, Koln

Neale, M. (1994) Yiribana, exhib.cat, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW

Art Gallery of NSW (1991) Aboriginal Women's Exhibition, exhib. Cat, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW

Brody, A, 1989, Utopia Women’s Paintings: the First Work on Canvas, A Summer Project 1988-89., cat., Heytesbury Holdings, Perth Brody, A., 1990, Utopia: a Picture Story, 88 Silk Batiks from the Robert Holmes a Court Collection, Heytesbury Holdings Ltd, Perth; 1993, Aratjara, Art of the First Australians: Traditional and Contemporary Works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artists, exhibition Cat. (conceived and designed by Bernard Luthi in collaboration with Gary Lee), Dumont, Buchverlag, Koln. Neatle, M., 1994, Yiribana, exhib.cat., Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 1991, Aboriginal Women’s Exhibition, exhibition Cat. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NATSIVAD Data Base; 1994, Yiribana Exhibition catalogue, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; 1991, Aboriginal Women’s Exhibition Cat. Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney; Brody, A, 1989, Utopia Women’s Paintings: First Work on Canvas, A Summer Project; 1988-89., cat., Heytesbury Holdings, Homes a Court Collection Perth Brody, A.; 1990, Utopia: Picture Story; Holmes a Court Collection.

 "Aboriginal Artists of the Western Desert - A Biographical Dictionary" by Vivien Johnson, published by Craftsman House 1994, "The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture" edited by Sylvia Kleinert and Margo Neale published by OUP 2000, “Australian Aboriginal Artist Encyclopedia” – dictionary of biographies” Kreczmanski, Janusz B & Birnberg, Margo (eds.): Aboriginal Artists: Dictionary of Biographies: Central Desert, Western Desert & Kimberley Region (JB Publishing Australia, Marleston, 2004). Brody, A. 1989 Utopia women’s Paintings: the First Works on Canvas, A summer Project, 1988-89 exhib. Cat. Heytesbury Holdings, Perth Brody, A. 1990 Utopia, a picture Story, 88 Silk Batiks from the Robert Homes a Court Gallery and gallery Collection, Heytesbury Holdings LTD Perth NATSIVAD database.