doreen reid nakamarra at the biennale of sydney 2008

‘untitled’ by doreen reid nakamarra at the biennale of sydney 2008 image © designboom

pier 2/3 at the biennale of sydney 2008 also saw the work of australian-born artist doreen reid nakamarra. born in the warburton ranges of western australia, as a young child, nakamarra walked with her family to the remote haasts bluff, an aboriginal settlement in central australia. moving around to various parts of the region, she met her husband george when living in kintore. the two settled in kiwirrkura where nakamarra completed her first paintings in 1996. her painting ‘untitled’ on view at the biennale of sydney, is a depiction of designs which are associated with the rockhole and soakage watersite of marrapinti, west of the pollock hills in western australia.

the linear details of the painting are meant to represent the creek bed at the tali (sandhills) which surround the area. at some views, the painting appears very two-dimensional, however, as you move around the painting, the lines begin to move on the canvas to create a more three-dimensional affect. nakamarra’s pictorial style draws from repeated gestures and lines that build up a three-dimensional optical field which suggest stories of ancestral times that are associated with her land. perhaps an optical illusion which expresses movement, her painting could also be a reference to the immaterial waves that continuously move the world.

‘untitled’ by doreen reid nakamarra, 2005 image © designboom

‘untitled’ by doreen reid nakamarra, 2005 image © designboom

‘untitled’ by doreen reid nakamarra, 2005 image © designboom

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