Neil Ernest Tompkins and Kitty Napanangka Simon create art that initially appears to be on opposite ends of the spectrum: the former figurative, and the latter abstract. But as is often the case with painting, there are more layers beneath the surface.
Tomkins has been painting his distinctive style of landscapes from a young age. He is very process driven, painting en plein air, but often using collage techniques to create a composition. His paintings are unique, playing with perspective and dynamism to reinvent the formality of landscapes.
Simon was born in 1948 and she has led a rich and varied life, from her early experiences in traditional desert walking to her present life in the Warlpiri community of Lajamanu. Her paintings are vibrant and exciting, often depicting the salt plains of Mina Mina, a sacred women’s dreaming site.
The Sydneysider and Northern Territory local are being exhibited alongside each other in country X Country, the inaugural exhibition for Art Leven, formerly Cooee Art—Australia’s oldest Indigenous gallery. Curated by Gadigal artist Kate Constantine (Konstantina), the show is a result of Art Leven taking Tomkins for a weeklong painting workshop at Warnayaka Arts with Simon, with the objective “to organically explore themes around the craft of landscape painting and ways of seeing and translating land and Country.”
View, in pictures, these vivid depictions of Country.
Kitty Napanangka Simon, Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina Mina Dreaming), 2020, 120x90cm.
Kitty Napanangka Simon, Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina Mina Dreaming), 2023, 120x90cm.
Kitty Napanangka Simon, Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina Mina Dreaming), 2023, 120x90cm.
Neil Ernest Tomkins, Corner of Wampana Road, 2023, acrylic on canvas, 90.5 x 120.5cm.
Neil Ernest Tomkins, Kitty’s House, 2023, acrylic on linen, 50x85cm.
Neil Ernest Tomkins, Slow Down (Kitty’s House Again), 2023, acrylic on linen, 90x120cm.
Neil Ernest Tomkins, By Old Station, 2023, acrylic on linen, 90x120cm.
Kitty Napanangka Simon, Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina Mina Dreaming), 2023, 120x90cm.
Kitty Napanangka Simon, Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina Mina Dreaming), 2023, 120x90cm.
country x Country
Art Leven
(Redfern, NSW)
27 July—26 August
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