Abie Loy Kemarre

Abie Loy Kemarre is the eldest of five children and was born on Utopia Station, approximately 270 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Painting is deeply embedded in her family heritage. She is the daughter of respected artists Margaret Loy Pula and Ray Loy Pula. Her great aunt is the celebrated artist Gloria Petyarre, while her grandmother and mentor was the renowned senior Anmatyerre artist Kathleen Petyarre.

An innovative mid-career artist, Abie began painting at the age of 19 under the guidance of Kathleen Petyarre, who taught her the meticulous techniques of fine dotting and mark-making to create intricate, shimmering surfaces with remarkable optical depth.

Over the years, Abie has developed a distinctive visual language, becoming recognised for her exceptional use of colour, line and composition. While her practice remains grounded in the stories and traditions of her Country, recent years have seen her explore increasingly expressive and abstract approaches to painting, further expanding her artistic practice.

Abie is the custodian of the Bush Turkey Dreaming, inherited from her grandfather. While this Dreaming has long been widely referred to as the Bush Hen Dreaming, her paintings depict the Bush Turkey travelling across Country in search of bush seeds scattered throughout the landscape. Other important themes explored in her work include Bush Medicine Leaf Dreaming, Emu Dreaming, Sandhills and Awelye (Women's Body Paint Designs), each reflecting her enduring connection to Country, family and cultural knowledge.

Throughout her career, Abie has received significant recognition, including selection as a finalist in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) in 1997, 2001 and 2004. In 2026, her latest body of work earned finalist selection in the Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize, Muswellbrook Art Prize and Alice Prize, reflecting the continued evolution of her practice.

Her innovative approach has also attracted international recognition, with her work the subject of the publication Abie Loy Kemarre | Abstraction Lyrique by French curator Stephane Jacob in 2013, followed by a presentation of her practice at the Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, Switzerland, in 2024.

Her paintings are held in leading public and private collections around the world, including The Metropolitan Museum, New York, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Bridgestone Museum of Art, Tokyo, and the Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, Switzerland.

Abie's works have been exhibited extensively throughout Australia and overseas, with her early batik works shown in Bali and her paintings featured in leading commercial galleries and private collections worldwide.

Abie continues to paint between Mosquito Bore and Alice Springs, creating works that honour her Anmatyerre heritage while continuing to evolve her distinctive contemporary practice.



Copyright Kate Owen Gallery May 2022, Updated July 2026