Kaylene Whiskey's Pop-Culture Infused Paintings Blend Ancestral Stories with Social Commentary
Kaylene Whiskey, an artist from Yankunytjatjara, combines Aboriginal creation narratives with modern female pop-culture figures in her dynamic artworks. In her 2021 piece, Seven Sisters Song, she depicts Tina Turner, Cher, Wonder Woman, and Cat Woman against a brown tourist road sign from South Australia, created for Iwantja Arts in Indulkana, APY Lands. The artwork features an array of creatures, fruits, and a banner stating 'Kungka Kun-pu' (Strong Women). Her 2019 piece, Coober Party, highlights Wonder Woman, Whoopi Goldberg, and Tina Turner, nodding to Coober Pedy's opal legacy. Additionally, her 2022 video work, Ngura Pukulpa–Happy Place, delves into modern identity while critiquing colonization, mining, and Christianity's influence in Australia, referencing the seven sisters (Kungkarangkalpa) creation story.
Key facts
- Kaylene Whiskey is a Yankunytjatjara artist from the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands
- Her 2021 work Seven Sisters Song features Tina Turner, Cher, Wonder Woman and Cat Woman painted over a road sign for Iwantja Arts
- Whiskey's paintings reference the Aboriginal creation story of the seven sisters (Kungkarangkalpa)
- Coober Party (2019) includes Wonder Woman, Whoopi Goldberg as Sister Mary Clarence, and Tina Turner with a speech bubble about 'noodleing for opals and gold'
- Her work contains commentary on colonization, mining of Indigenous land, and the market for precious stones
- Whiskey created three animations in 2019 for Artspace's online programme 52 Actions
- Her 2022 videowork Ngura Pukulpa–Happy Place features the artist and seven female friends partying in the desert
- Iwantja Arts is an Indigenous-owned art centre in Indulkana, South Australia where Whiskey is a member
Entities
Artists
- Kaylene Whiskey
- Tina Turner
- Cher
- Wonder Woman
- Cat Woman
- Whoopi Goldberg
Institutions
- Iwantja Arts
- Artspace
Locations
- Indulkana
- South Australia
- Australia
- Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands
- APY Lands
- Coober Pedy