Kaylene Whiskey

Kaylene Whiskey, is a Pitjantjatjara artist from Indulkana, a remote Aboriginal community, in South Australia. Whiskey is a contemporary Aboriginal artist who is exhibited in many important Australian galleries and won the 2018 Sir John Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales; she was also a finalist for the 2020 Archibald Prize (as a part of a record year for Indigenous Australian artists representation in the Archibald Prize).[1]

Whiskey is the granddaughter of Whiskey Tjukangku who she used to watch paint and, like her grandfather, she paints with Iwantja Arts.[2]

Life and painting

Whiskey was born and raised in the small community of Indulkana in the APY Lands to a family very involved in the arts and she grew up around the art centre and, as she grew older, she said that painting there was "a good way to keep busy and spend time with my family".[2]

Whiskey has developed a unique style which includes pop stars in bright colours; her favourite musicians Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Cher (who she often listens to as she paints) are often featured in her work.

Whiskey says:

I like to listen to rock music and Tina Turner, and I paint with really strong colours, I put in lots of the special details, and everyone likes it. I paint strong stories too, paintings about heaven and Jesus, and sometimes Mintabie and paintings about my country Indulkana. Sometimes my paintings tell hard stories, but my paintings are always colourful and painting them makes me happy.

— Kaylene Whiskey[3]

Achievements
  • In 2018 Whiskey won the Sir John Sulman prize for her acrylic painting "Kaylene TV"; featuring two of her favourite kungkas (women) Dolly Parton and Cher.[4]
  • In 2019 Whiskey won the Telstra General Painting Award at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards for her water based enamel painting "Seven Sistas" showing her irreverent interpretation of the Seven Sisters Dreaming (Kungkarangkalpa Tjukurpa) where she casts her own heroic women into the roles. These women include Wonder Woman and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.[5][6]
  • In 2019 Whiskey was featured in The National 2019: New Australian Art at the Museum of Contemporary Art.[7]
  • Whiskey was a finalist of the Archibald Prize in 2020 for her self-portrait (in which she is accompanied by Dolly Parton); this work is entitled: "Dolly visits Indulkana". Whiskey says:[8]

    ‘It’s one of my dreams for Dolly to come and visit me in Indulkana, I love to listen to her music while I paint: “9 to 5”, “Coat of many colours”, “Jolene”, and my number one, “Islands in the stream” with Kenny Rogers. I often think, “If Dolly came to visit, what would she do? What would she say? And what would she be wearing?”

‘I had a lot of fun bringing Dolly to Indulkana on the canvas. Once I had finished the painting I thought, “You know what? Dolly needs more sparkles”, so I added the plastic jewels as the finishing touch!’

— Kaylene Whiskey, Art Gallery of New South Wales

See also

References
  1. "'It only took 99 years!': Vincent Namatjira is first Indigenous artist to win Archibald Prize". www.abc.net.au. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  2. "Kaylene Whiskey". Artist Profile. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  3. "Kaylene Whiskey". Iwantja Arts. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  4. Deutsch; Français; 日本語; 中文; Español; Italiano; 한국어; العربية; us, Contact. "Archibald Prize Sulman 2018 finalist: Kaylene TV by Kaylene Whiskey". www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  5. "2019 Winners - Telstra NATSIAA". MAGNT. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  6. MAGNT, Supplied (9 August 2019). "Kaylene Whiskey". ABC News. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  7. "The National 2019: New Australian Art | MCA Australia". www.mca.com.au. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  8. "Archibald Prize Archibald 2020 finalist: Dolly visits Indulkana by Kaylene Whiskey". www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
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