A close relative of the women artists who made the Utopia art school famous, Abie Loy Kemarre, granddaughter of Kathleen Petyarre, has created here a truly spectacular work.

Inspired by the blooming of the “Sensitive Plant” (Mimosa pudica), the painting seems to vibrate with the intimate life of nature, while also functioning as a kind of “self-portrait” of the artist, who describes herself as “shy” like the plant she depicts, whose leaves retract when touched.

Remarkable for the sense of breathing it conveys and the hypnotic quality of its motifs, animated by both centrifugal and centripetal movement, this painting demonstrates the high level of awareness and aesthetic achievement Abie Loy has reached—proof of the exceptional quality and inventive spirit of contemporary Central Desert painting.