Kaylene Whiskey facts for kids

Kaylene Whiskey is a famous Aboriginal Australian artist. She creates amazing art today. In 2018, she won the Sir John Sulman Prize. She was also a finalist for the Archibald Prize in 2020. Her art is shown in many big galleries across Australia.

Kaylene is a Pitjantjatjara woman. She comes from Indulkana, a small Aboriginal community. This community is in South Australia. Her grandfather was also an artist, Whiskey Tjukangku. Kaylene paints with Iwantja Arts, just like him.

Her Life and Art

Kaylene grew up in Indulkana. This community is in the APY Lands. Her family was very involved in art. She spent a lot of time at the local art centre. Painting there was a good way to stay busy. It also helped her spend time with her family.

Kaylene has a very special art style. She often paints famous pop stars. She uses bright and lively colours. Her favourite musicians are Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, and Cher. She often listens to their music while she paints.

Kaylene calls these famous women her kungkas. This word means "woman" or "young woman" in the Yankunytjatjara language. She once said that she dreams of Dolly Parton visiting her. She loves listening to Dolly's songs like "9 to 5" and "Islands in the Stream".

I like to listen to rock music and Tina Turner. I paint with really strong colours. I put in lots of special details. Everyone likes it. I paint strong stories too. These are paintings about heaven and Jesus. Sometimes they are about Mintabie and my country, Indulkana. Sometimes my paintings tell hard stories. But my paintings are always colourful. Painting them makes me happy.

—Kaylene Whiskey

Awards and Recognition

Kaylene Whiskey has won several important art awards.

• In 2018, she won the Sir John Sulman Prize. Her winning painting was called "Kaylene TV". It showed two of her favourite kungkas, Dolly Parton and Cher.
• In 2019, she won the Telstra General Painting Award. This was at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. Her painting was "Seven Sistas". It showed her own fun version of the Seven Sisters Dreaming story. She put heroic women like Wonder Woman and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz in it.
• In 2020, Kaylene was a finalist for the Archibald Prize. This is a very famous portrait award. Her self-portrait was called "Dolly visits Indulkana". In this painting, she was with Dolly Parton.

Exhibitions

Kaylene Whiskey's art has been shown in many places.

• In 2018, her work was in "A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Happiness". This show was at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art in Melbourne. It featured 10 new works by Aboriginal artists.
• In 2019, her art was part of "The National 2019: New Australian Art". This exhibition was at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
• In 2022, she had a show called "Iwantja Rock n Roll". It was at the Fort Gansevoort gallery in New York. Her painting Kungkas in Hollywood (2021) was in this show. It showed her with Beyoncé and Dolly Parton.
• Also in 2022, Kaylene worked with a knitwear brand called WAH WAH. They made bright knitted clothes. These clothes had 20 designs from her artworks. They included cockatoos, boomerangs, and her idols like Cher and Wonder Woman.
• In 2024, Kaylene is part of the Biennale of Sydney. This is a big art event. She has an art installation called 'Kaylene TV'. It is like a walk-in television set. It is full of female pop icons, including a black Wonder Woman.

See also

• Art of Australia