Specially commissioned for the current survey exhibition Super Kaylene Whiskey, the three-panelled series depicts Cathy Freeman AC as she lights the torch, runs and wins Gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Bree Pickering, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, said Kaylene’s work was a significant addition to the collection. ‘When we were planning the exhibition, curator April Phillips invited Kaylene to create a new portrait of an Australian hero. Kaylene didn’t hesitate and this monumental portrait of her hero Cathy Freeman is the result. This is an exceptional work that is uniquely Kaylene Whiskey and a joyous celebration of Freeman’s monumental win at the 2000 Olympics.
‘Kaylene has surrounded Cathy with bush tucker, flags, animals and symbols of power. Wonder Woman and Kaylene herself are depicted in the background cheering Cathy on, and this extraordinary work captures Cathy in a new light, powered by the energy, love and spirit of her sistas in Indulkana and beyond,’ Pickering said.
Cathy Freeman AC visited the National Portrait Gallery recently to view the portrait and to meet Kaylene, and said it was a privilege to see herself and this historic moment represented in such a unique way. ‘All of Kaylene’s works share messages of love – they are so powerful and joyous – and it is such an honour to be portrayed as a ‘kungka kunpu’ (strong woman). I was so happy to meet her and thrilled she celebrated me in this way,’ Freeman said.
Kaylene Whiskey and her family watched Cathy Freeman participate in the Sydney Olympics on television from home in Indulkana, and her mother and aunt were part of a group of dancers from the APY Lands who performed at the Opening Ceremony. ‘I only watched Cathy on TV, and now I met her, she said. ‘I remember when Cathy Freeman lit the Olympic Flame and won the gold medal, in Indulkana with my family, we were all watching. Cathy is a hero for Aboriginal people, she is a kungka kunpu – a strong woman. She looked just like a superhero in her fast, green lycra-suit, the flag was her big cape, she was running and flying!’
Bree Pickering said it was an absolute pleasure to welcome Cathy to the Gallery. ‘This was a very special day for all of us, but especially Kaylene. While her portraits celebrate her heroes – strong, hugely talented and successful women such as Dolly Parton, Cher and Tina Turner, she has never met any of them in person.
‘Cathy Freeman is not only Kaylene’s hero but a national hero, and her 400m win in Sydney more than 25 years ago is deeply embedded in our collective memory as a moment of incredible national pride, and one we celebrated again recently when Cathy received Australia’s highest honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia,’ Pickering said.
Whiskey is a Yankunytjatjara woman working out of Iwantja Arts, an Indigenous owned and governed Aboriginal art centre in the Indulkana Community of the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the remote north-west of South Australia. Widely considered to be one of the most exciting contemporary artists working today, her celebrated paintings foreground traditional Aṉangu culture alongside depictions of pop-culture icons Cher, Wonder Woman, Tina Turner and notably, Dolly Parton. A three-time Archibald Prize finalist and winner of the 2018 Sulman Prize, Whiskey’s collaborations with knitwear label Wah-Wah, Mecca and the National Gallery of Victoria have seen her fast become a household name in Australia. Her now famous 2020 work, Dolly visits Indulkana, was projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House for Badu Gili: Wonder Women, in collaboration with the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2021. The first major survey of her work, Super Kaylene Whiskey, is being presented at the National Portrait Gallery and will close on Monday 9 March.
The Super Cathy series has been acquired for the National Portrait Gallery Collection and will continue to be on view after the exhibition closes on 9 March.
