Kemarre, Mary

Mary Morton Kemarre was a respected Alyawarre artist from Antarrengeny, a community within the Utopia region of Central Australia, located approximately 240 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs.

Mary was involved in the Batik project of the 1970s, when Western craft practices and traditional Indigenous imagery were combined for the first time. Aileen was one of the early artists who began to use acrylic paint and canvas in the 1980s. Mary continued to depict the Dreaming stories and ceremonial designs of her ancestral land. Her artworks often featured themes such as Awelye (women’s ceremony), Apeng (Kurrajong) Dreaming, and Merne Altwerr (Split-Jack), reflecting her deep knowledge of cultural practices and the natural environment.

Mary’s contributions to art have been widely recognised, with her works held in major collections both nationally and internationally, including the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria.