Audrey Kngwarreye Morton
Artist's Statement
Audrey Morton Kngwarreye is the daughter of Mary Kemarre and Billy Stockman Pitjara Morton. Born in 1954 Audrey has always been involved and surrounded by contemporary painting. Audrey and all of her three sisters; Lucky, Sarah and Ruby Morton are all artists in their own right.
Audrey and her family come from the Utopia region in Central Australia. Utopia is renowned for its development of famous Aboriginal artists and Audrey has been involved in many of the programs that have assisted in developing these artists. Like so many other Utopian women from this generation Audrey started experimenting with art in the CAAMA Batik Project in the 1970’s and the “Summer Project” in the 80’s. It was in the 1980’s where Audrey began to use canvas and acrylic paints. Her Batik works have been exhibited around Australia and her canvases throughout Australia and America.
Audrey paints a variety of subject matter including Tharrkarr (Sweet Honey Grevillea), Alpeyt (Acacia Flowers) and Awelye, a women’s ceremonial body paint design. These are unique to the Antarrengeny region, which is Audrey’s mother’s country. Audrey depicts Dreamtime stories from the Ngkwarlerlanem and Arnkawenyerr countries to which she belongs.
Audrey and her family come from the Utopia region in Central Australia. Utopia is renowned for its development of famous Aboriginal artists and Audrey has been involved in many of the programs that have assisted in developing these artists. Like so many other Utopian women from this generation Audrey started experimenting with art in the CAAMA Batik Project in the 1970’s and the “Summer Project” in the 80’s. It was in the 1980’s where Audrey began to use canvas and acrylic paints. Her Batik works have been exhibited around Australia and her canvases throughout Australia and America.
Audrey paints a variety of subject matter including Tharrkarr (Sweet Honey Grevillea), Alpeyt (Acacia Flowers) and Awelye, a women’s ceremonial body paint design. These are unique to the Antarrengeny region, which is Audrey’s mother’s country. Audrey depicts Dreamtime stories from the Ngkwarlerlanem and Arnkawenyerr countries to which she belongs.
Awards
1985, Selected Entrant National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
1991, Selected Entrant National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
1994, Selected Entrant National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
1991, Selected Entrant National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
1994, Selected Entrant National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
Group Exhibitions
2026, June, Ilyarnayt, Art Leven, Sydney NSW
2026, May, Utopia Today, Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT
2025, June, We Call it Urapuntja, JGM Gallery, London
2025, June, Ravenswood Art Prize, Ravenswood School for Girls, Sydney
2022, September, Desert Mob 2022, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs
2007, January, A Brush with Art, Eastern Desert Art Songs, Prairie Hotel, Parachilna.
2005, January, Small Wonders, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs.
2005, January, Black Ink: Indigenous Prints from the Queendsland Art Gallery Collection, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.
2004, January, Evolution of Utopia, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs.
2003, January, Art from the Dreamtime, Portland Art Museum, Portland, USA.
1999, January, Aboriginal Art Galerie Bahr Exhibition, Germany.
1998, January, Dreamings, Spazio Pitti Arte, Florence, Italy, Vlaams, Brussels, Belgium.
1998, January, The Hague Unites the Nation, Grote Kerk, The Hague, The Netherlands., Upon request of the Australian Embassy acting as representatives of Australia.
1998, January, Exhibition in Art Centre, Meerzigt, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands.
1994, January, Tyerabarrbowaryaou 2, I shall never become a whiteman, 5th Havana Biennial, Cuba.
1994, January, 11th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin.
1992, January, New Tracks Old Land: An Exhibition of Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia”, touring USA and Australia.
1990, January, Contemporary Aboriginal Art from the Robert Holmes a Court Collection, Harvard University, University of Minnesota, Lake Oswego Centre for the Arts, USA.
1990, January, Utopia: A Picture Story: An exhibition of 88 works on Silk from the Holmes a Court Collection”, Eire and Scotland.
1990, January, 8th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin. 1989, January, Utopia Women’s Paintings: The First Works on Canvas. A Summer Project, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney.
1985, January, 2nd National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin.
2026, May, Utopia Today, Outstation Gallery, Darwin, NT
2025, June, We Call it Urapuntja, JGM Gallery, London
2025, June, Ravenswood Art Prize, Ravenswood School for Girls, Sydney
2022, September, Desert Mob 2022, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs
2007, January, A Brush with Art, Eastern Desert Art Songs, Prairie Hotel, Parachilna.
2005, January, Small Wonders, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs.
2005, January, Black Ink: Indigenous Prints from the Queendsland Art Gallery Collection, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.
2004, January, Evolution of Utopia, Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs.
2003, January, Art from the Dreamtime, Portland Art Museum, Portland, USA.
1999, January, Aboriginal Art Galerie Bahr Exhibition, Germany.
1998, January, Dreamings, Spazio Pitti Arte, Florence, Italy, Vlaams, Brussels, Belgium.
1998, January, The Hague Unites the Nation, Grote Kerk, The Hague, The Netherlands., Upon request of the Australian Embassy acting as representatives of Australia.
1998, January, Exhibition in Art Centre, Meerzigt, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands.
1994, January, Tyerabarrbowaryaou 2, I shall never become a whiteman, 5th Havana Biennial, Cuba.
1994, January, 11th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin.
1992, January, New Tracks Old Land: An Exhibition of Contemporary Prints from Aboriginal Australia”, touring USA and Australia.
1990, January, Contemporary Aboriginal Art from the Robert Holmes a Court Collection, Harvard University, University of Minnesota, Lake Oswego Centre for the Arts, USA.
1990, January, Utopia: A Picture Story: An exhibition of 88 works on Silk from the Holmes a Court Collection”, Eire and Scotland.
1990, January, 8th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin. 1989, January, Utopia Women’s Paintings: The First Works on Canvas. A Summer Project, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney.
1985, January, 2nd National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin.
Collections
Museum of Victoria, Melbourne.
The Holmes á Court Collection, Perth.
The National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.
The Holmes á Court Collection, Perth.
The National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.
