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Tate Modern Unveils First European Retrospective of Emily Kam Kngwarray

Opening July 10, the six-month show features over 70 works with updated displays revealing her ceremonial and ancestral connections to Country.

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Emily Kam Kngwarray near Mparntwe, Alice Springs in 1980
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Overview

  • On July 10, Tate Modern opened the first large-scale European solo exhibition of Aboriginal artist Emily Kam Kngwarray.
  • The retrospective, organised with the National Gallery of Australia, spans six months and displays more than 70 works, including early batiks and her final acrylic paintings.
  • Transport for London is promoting the show with vibrant reproductions of Kngwarray’s ancestral paintings across Tube stations.
  • Curators have installed clear wall texts explaining key Aboriginal concepts such as Country and Dreaming to guide visitors through her cultural and spiritual narratives.
  • A long-hidden 1996 letter from then-Tate director Nicholas Serota, in which he refused to acquire Australian Indigenous art, has resurfaced to underscore the institution’s earlier neglect.