Gladys Kemarre

Gladys Kemarre was a respected Anmatyerre artist from the Utopia region in Central Australia. Born around 1951 in the Ahalpere area, she was raised in a traditional lifestyle, deeply connected to her country and its stories. Kemarre lived at Camel Camp Outstation in Utopia, where she resided with close relatives, including her sister Ollie Kemarre and fellow Utopian artists such as the Ngale sisters—Kathleen, Polly, and Angeline.

In the late 1970s, Glady began her artistic journey with batik, a medium that combined Western craft practices with traditional Indigenous imagery. Over 80 other Utopia women participated in this practice for more than a decade. In the late 1980s, with the introduction of acrylics on canvas, Kemarre adapted quickly to the new medium, embracing its ease and freedom.

Kemarre's artworks predominantly depict the Anwekety (Bush Plum) Dreaming, rendered through fine dot work representing the sweet black conkerberry, known as anwekety in her language. Her paintings are admired for their fluid quality, built up by layers of small dots.

Her contributions to Aboriginal art were recognised with several awards, including the prestigious National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 1996. Kemarre's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and her paintings are held in major public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.