Skip to main content
Skip to footer Skip to Acknowledgement of Country
National Gallery of Australia
What's On Art & Artists Visit
Login
  1. Home
  2. On Demand
  3. Video
  4. Emily Kame Kngwarreye's 'The Alhalkere suite'
A video still of artworks hung on a gallery wall
First Nations

Emily Kame Kngwarreye's 'The Alhalkere suite'


‘I was born at the place called Alhalkere, right there.’

One of Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s crowning achievements, ‘The Alhalkere suite’ embodies the desert country of her birth, speaking to the ongoing cycles of nature and the spiritual forces that imbue the earth. The monumental installation of 22 canvases describes the land in flood, celebrating the coming of rain after long periods of drought. After the rain, brilliantly coloured wildflowers carpet the landscape, and the soft-looking spinifex bushes appear beside the desert oak trees and blossoming wattle.

Fittingly for an artist as unconventional as Kngwarreye, the 22 panels of this work can be displayed in any order. She did not determine the sequence or impose any limitations on the overall configuration – each time it is displayed it offers a new way of seeing and of telling the story of her land.

More from Australian Art


Project /  Video

Skywhales: Every heart sings

Video still of hot air balloons floating in sky.

Published 05 February 2021

Patricia Piccinini's Skywhalepapa and Skywhale are monumental sculptures in the form of hot-air balloons – together they form a skywhale family.

Artist Interviews /  Audio

David Wilson Interview
James Gleeson Oral History Collection

A black and white portrait image of a man facing straight ahead

Published 2015

James Gleeson interviews David Wilson, 3 November 1979

19 minutes
Australian Art /  Video

Alexander Schramm 'Adelaide, a tribe of natives on the banks of the river Torrens'

Video still of painting.

Published 16 December 2010

Australian Art /  Video

Tony Tuckson 'Watery'

Video still of a close up shot of painting.

Published 16 December 2010

Australian Art /  Video

Patricia Piccinini

Published 2018

Australian Art /  Video

Tom Roberts 'Shearing the rams'

A video still of a man shearing a ram

Published 2016

  • All videos
    in Australian Art
  • More from First Nations


    Video

    Tune into Art – The Urban Gallery by Hayds

    Video still of artist speaking

    Published 02 November 2015

    First Nations /  Video

    Vernon Ah Kee 'Austracism'

    Published 2013

    First Nations /  Video

    This Place: Artist Series – Ken Thaiday Sr

    Video still of artwork.

    Published 24 February 2020

    Ken Thaiday Snr. is a Torres Strait Island artist renowned for his dance headdresses.

    Talks & Lectures /  Video

    Helen Carroll & Francesca Cubillo on Defying Empire
    3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial

    Video still of a car

    Published 2017

    First Nations /  Video

    Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri 'Bush-fire II'

    Published 17 December 2010

    First Nations /  Video

    Unknown artist 'Jawun shield' 19th–20th Century

    Published 17 December 2010

  • All videos
    in First Nations
  • More from Gallery Walkthroughs


    Video

    Kastom Ramparamp

    Video still of man talking with artwork in background.

    Published 2013

    Video

    Garden of the East

    A video still of a woman speaking to the camera, standing in a gallery space

    Published 27 August 2014

    Video

    Kastom Giant Tree Fern

    Published 2013

    Video

    Gayle Slater Havana2

    A video still of a woman looking at an artwork in a gallery space

    Published 02 May 2015

    International Art /  Video

    Matisse & Picasso Exhibition Tour

    Video still of painting up close.

    Published 20 March 2020

    Take a virtual tour of the Matisse & Picasso exhibition.

    Pacific Art /  Video

    Atua: Sacred Gods from Polynesia

    A video still of a man looking at a sculpture in an exhibition

    Published 28 August 2014

  • All videos
    in Gallery Walkthroughs
  • Recently Added On Demand

    View all

    First Nations /  Video

    The Aboriginal Memorial - Ramingining Community Singing In

    Published 25 July 2022

    The Ramingining Community singing in the newly located Aboriginal Memorial Poles

    77 minutes
    Architects Speaker Series /  Audio

    Andrew Cortese – Grimshaw, Sydney
    2021 Contemporary Australian Architects Speaker Series

    Photograph of dark building on grass with trees

    Published July 2022

    This annual lecture series showcases the latest work of renowned contemporary Australian architects.

    82 minutes
    Architects Speaker Series /  Audio

    Madeleine Blanchfield Architects
    2021 Contemporary Australian Architects Speaker Series

    Photograph of white domestic interior with open door and staircase

    Published July 2022

    This annual lecture series showcases the latest work of renowned contemporary Australian architects.

    60 minutes
    Architects Speaker Series /  Audio

    Nathanael Preston and Daniel Lane – Preston Lane
    2021 Contemporary Australian Architects Speaker Series

    Photograph of domestic exterior with large concrete balcony above

    Published July 2022

    This annual lecture series showcases the latest work of renowned contemporary Australian architects.

    62 minutes
    Architects Speaker Series /  Audio

    Abbie Galvin – New South Wales Government Architect
    2021 Contemporary Australian Architects Speaker Series

    Photograph of woman in blazer, black and white

    Published July 2022

    This annual lecture series showcases the latest work of renowned contemporary Australian architects.

    58 minutes
    Talks & Lectures /  Video

    NAIDOC Week 2022 | Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori, Kaiadilt people

    Photograph of smiling man against a backdrop of an indigenous artwork

    Published 08 July 2022

    This NAIDOC Week, Bruce Johnson-McLean, Wierdi/Birri Gubba peoples, finds himself in Paris surrounded by the work of Sally Gabori

    Audio Tour Open Captioning
    4 minutes
  • On Demand Video

    Didn't find what you were looking for?

    Search On Demand
    Video still of fog surrounding garden.
    Go back to start of main content
    Go to top of page

    Yuuma, Gurruburri

    The National Gallery acknowledges the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the Kamberri/Canberra region, and recognises their continuous connection to culture, community and Country.

    • National Gallery On Demand
    • Art & Artists
    • What's On
    • Visit
    • Membership
    • Donate
    • Jobs
    • About Us

    Connect

    +61 2 6240 6411
    information@nga.gov.au
    Get art in your inbox

    Open every day

    (except Christmas day)
    10am – 5pm

    Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country
    Parkes Place East, Parkes ACT 2600

    View Street Map
    View Gallery Map


    Contact us

    National Gallery of Australia

    Follow the National gallery of Australia on:

    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Website Privacy Website Disclaimer Website Copyright
    Opening Acknowledgment of Country

    The National Gallery acknowledges the First Peoples of this land and recognises their continuous connection to culture, community and Country

    Learn More
    birds-eye view photograph of bushland
      • View All
      • Today
      • Exhibitions
      • Access Programs
      • All Programs
      • On Demand
      • About the Collection
      • Sculpture Garden
      • Kenneth E. Tyler Collection
      • Provenance
      • Conservation
      • Copyright
      • Search the Collection
      • Plan Your Visit
      • Getting Here
      • Parking & Transport
      • Art Store
      • Dining
      • Visiting with Kids
      • Research Library & Archives
      • Admission tickets
      • Browse Stories
      • Browse Videos
      • Artonview Magazine
      • Podcasts
      • Audio Tours
      • Virtual Tours
      • Learning Programs
      • For People with Access Needs
      • For Teachers & Students
      • For Young People
      • For Kids & Families
      • For Adults
      • For Your Community
      • Art Cases
      • Educator Programs
      • Get Involved
      • Membership
      • Voluntary Guides
      • Partnerships
      • Support
      • Donate
    • First Nations
    • Access
    • Art Store
    • Media
    • Venue Hire
    • About Us