Bush Hen Dreaming - Bush Leaves
Born into the central Australian desert community of Utopia, Abie Loy Kemarre began painting under the tutelage of her grandmother, the renowned contemporary artist Kathleen Petyarre. Bush Hen Dreaming refers to a sacred song and dance ceremony carried out by women at a dry water hole site. The ceremony recounts the journey of the bush hen in its search for leaves and seeds in the surrounding landscape. Abie Loy Kemarre was entrusted with the custodial rights to depict the Bush Hen theme by her grandfather. Rather than present an unfolding narrative, she focuses on a single element to represent the complex knowledge of bush medicine and vital resources that are embedded within the story. The energy and dynamism of ceremony are reflected in dazzling optical effects, achieved by her meticulous repetition of the detailed leaf motif. The motif is layered to create the sensation of undulating movement, and it radiates across the canvas in swaths of blue and deep red.
Artwork Details
- Title: Bush Hen Dreaming - Bush Leaves
- Artist: Abie Loy Kemarre (Australian (Aboriginal), born ca. 1972)
- Date: 2003
- Medium: Acrylic on canvas
- Dimensions: 71 5/8 × 71 5/8 in. (182 × 182 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Robert Kaplan and Margaret Levi Collection, 2017
- Object Number: 2017.251.1
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.