First Nations artist Kaylene Whiskey has revealed she is set to release her first monograph.
Edited by the renowned curator Natalie King and the team at Iwantja Arts, 'The Art of Kaylene Whiskey: Do You Believe in Love?' is set to be released next month.
Colourfully designed throughout and featuring a dynamic lenticular cover, the volume also includes contributions from notable creatives Taika Waititi, Jazz Money, Zoé Whitley, Clothilde Bullen and April Phillips.
"Kaylene Whiskey is an artistic Swiss Army knife in the world of multimedia," Taika Waititi said.
Whiskey's paintings dazzle with brightly coloured pop stars rendered in dots and set amongst her own community in remote Central Australia.
She depicts female pop culture icons including Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Catwoman, Cher and Wonder Woman – all connected to the Kungkarangkalpa Tjukurpa, or Seven Sisters Story.
These heroines are shown partying at Iwantja Art Centre in Indulkana, South Australia.
"I was very excited that Kaylene honoured me through her art and I was glad that I could be an inspiration to her," Dolly Parton said.
Whiskey also expressed what an inspiration Parton has been on her creative work.
'It's one of my dreams for Dolly to come and visit me in Indulkana," she said.
"I love to listen to her music while I paint: '9 to 5', 'Coat of many colours', 'Jolene', and my number one, 'Islands in the stream' with Kenny Rogers.
"I often think if Dolly came to visit, what would she do? What would she say? And what would she be wearing?"
Her comic-book style and text bubbles are hilarious yet potent symbols of female power in an Aboriginal setting.
A joyful visual anthem, Whiskey's work draws from the country music, rock'n'roll and Anangu songs played in her household growing up.
An in-depth interview with Whiskey punctuates the richly illustrated pages in which she describes her creative process, blending Anangu traditions with contemporary culture by painting jugs of Coca- Cola alongside mingkulpa (native bush tobacco), lollipops, honey ants and love hearts.
Iwantja Arts is an Indigenous owned and governed Aboriginal art centre, located in the rocky, desert country of Indulkana Community on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the remote north-west of South Australia.
It is named after the Iwantja Creek closeby to where the Indulkana community was founded, which is near the site of the Tjurki (owl) Tjukurpa.
The art centre was established in the early 1980s by founding artists and directors Alec Baker and Sadie Singer, with Iwantja Arts now supporting the artistic careers of its forty plus predominantly Yankunytjatjara artist members, providing access to artistic and professional development.
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