01 Kaylene Whiskey in the Iwantja Arts studio, photograph Jackson Lee
02 Seven Sistas, 2018, acrylic on linen, 91 x 122 cm
03 Cher (Seven Sistas), 2018, acrylic on linen, 51 x 76 cm
04 Michael Jackson (Seven Sistas), 2018, acrylic on linen, 51 x 76 cm
05 Welcome to Iwantja Arts, 2018, water-based enamel on SA tourist attraction road sign,
120 x 180 x 3 cm
H
ow did you start painting?
I grew up watching artists from my family, like my
grandfather Whiskey Tjukangku, making paintings
in the Iwantja art centre. I was always spending time in there,
working on arts and crafts projects. It has always been a place
where I go to have fun and spend time with friends and family
and is a good place to keep busy. Over the years, more and more
people have started paying attention to my work and there’s
more and more recognition and opportunities for me as an artist,
which is wonderful.What are your influences?
I love music (country, pop, rock ‘n roll) and performers who wear
the best outfits, like Tina Turner, Dolly Parton and Cher. I am also
influenced by film clips (I love watching my favourite pop stars on
RAGE), TV shows (Monkey Mag ic, Wonder Woman) and movies
(Mad Max, Sister Act, The Wizard of Oz) as well as comic books –
anything fun, colourful and exciting!What materials do you use?
I mostly make paintings with acrylic on linen, but I love trying
different things, not just sticking with painting on canvas allKAYLENE WHISKEY’S PAINTINGS COMBINE CULTURE AND
HER ENVIRONMENT (INDULKANA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA)
WITH THE CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AND MEDIA – FROM
MICHAEL JACKSON TO CHER, DOLY PARTON AND
WONDER WOMAN – THAT BRING HER JOY. SHE
HARNESSES HER IRREPRESSIBLE HUMOUR, VIBRANT
COLOUR AND A VIVID IMAGINATION TO EXPRESS THE
OFTEN HARSH REALITIES OF HER PLACE AND TIME.
02