The exhibition, titled ‘JamFactory ICON Kunmanara Carroll: Ngaylu Nyanganyi Ngura Winki (I Can See All Those Places)’, will be on display from July 1 to October 22, 2023.
This major solo exhibition showcases a significant collection of Mr Carroll’s final ceramic works, paintings and a tapestry produced by the Australian Tapestry Workshop.
SAM is the only Victorian venue for this exhibition, which is touring 12 venues across Australia until mid-2024.
Born in 1950, Mr Carroll resided and worked in Pukatja in the APY Lands from the age of 19.
Following his retirement from the health and community fields, he joined Ernabella Arts in 2009, where he established himself as one of the art centre’s most senior and revered practitioners.
Mr Carroll’s deep connection to his paternal homeland served as a constant inspiration throughout his creative career, reflected in his paintings and ceramic sculptures.
His visit to his grandmother’s and father’s land near Kintore in the Northern Territory and Kiwirrkura, Western Australia, in 2017, as part of the Mark and Memory project, inspired the works created between 2020 and 2021 (the year of his death), forming the core of the Ngaylu Nyanganyi Ngura Winki exhibition.
SAM curator Belinda Briggs described Mr Carroll’s practice as a testament to his profound understanding of Country and his skilful portrayal of its stories through paint and clay.
The exhibition pays tribute to his role as an elder in the Pukatja community, showcasing his mastery in bridging mind, spirit, heart, and hands within his artworks.
JamFactory’s ICON series, celebrating influential visual artists working in craft-based media in South Australia, features Mr Carroll as the first Aboriginal artist since the series' inception in 2013.
The exhibition is accompanied by a major monograph publication which will be available to buy at the SAM shop throughout the exhibition.
Additionally, a range of public and educational programs and resources will support the exhibition.
The official opening will be held during SAM at Sunset, the museum’s monthly late-night program, on Thursday, July 27.
JamFactory ICON Kunmanara Carroll: Ngaylu Nyanganyi Ngura Winki (I Can See All Those Places) will be showing at SAM from July 1 until October 22.
Entry to the museum and the exhibition is free.
