The mouth of Kendall River

Apart from being the title of Mavis Ngallametta’s work, the mouth of Kendall River was also the artist’s Country, an area south of Aurukun, in far north Queensland. Ngallametta’s intimate knowledge of the landscape, with its intricacies and nuances, enabled her to depict the complexity of the region with assurance, the diverse waterways, swamps, cliff formations, coastlines and vegetation all skilfully captured in this large-scale painting.

In this work, a record of a visit to Kendall River during a cultural exchange in 2013, Ngallametta placed herself at the scene with two visitors among the densely painted meandering lines and the shifting above and below perspectives. Painted with clay, ochre and charcoal from the region, the scintillating tones and contrasting white are the colours of Country. A successful weaver, Ngallametta began painting in 2008, developing a practice on canvas that interconnected the intricate and abundant ecosystems in her Country with the spiritual and personal connection she had with the region.