Bush Hen Dreaming, Sandhill Country
2004
Abie Loy Kamerre
Australian Aboriginal, Anmatyerr people, Utopia, Central Desert, Northern Territory, born 1972
Image and title seem to be at odds in this painting. Swirling lines provide no clue as to where the hen might be. However, the bush hen’s search for seeds, plums and tomatoes is imbedded in the memory of the artist and forms a source of inspiration. Both a glimpse of the dynamic movement of a creature trying to find fruit, and a record of the channels of sandhills, this landscape merges daily life with the eternal forces of the dreaming. “Dreaming” is a term that often stands for Aboriginal cosmologies that encompass the creation of the universe, and provide a source of ongoing spiritual nourishment.
--Pam McClusky, Curator of African and Oceanic Art, 2012
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas
71 5/8 x 71 5/8 in. (182 x 182 cm)
Gift of Margaret Levi and Robert Kaplan
2019.20.15
Provenance: [Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, Australia]; Margaret Levi and Robert Kaplan, Seattle, Washington, 2004
Photo: iocolor, Seattle