Emily Kame Kngwarreye only started painting at the age of 79. She is now regarded by many as Australia’s most important artist, with an international reputation that continues to grow. Drawing on accounts from those close to her as well as previously unexamined sources, Andrew Bailey reveals the inside story of how a senior law woman from one of the most remote parts of the country came to prominence in just seven years. She has twice been represented at the Venice Biennale, and a solo retrospective of her work appeared at the Tate Modern in London in 2025. Yet Bailey shows we still greatly underestimate Kngwarreye. He demonstrates how her striking work was a catalyst for profound national cultural change in the final decade of the twentieth century. This is the previously untold story of the emergence of contemporary Indigenous art, and a compelling insight into how Australia sees itself.
