ARTIST PROFILE
Charlene Carrington
Charlene is definitely one of the most talented, exciting young artists in Australia. Born in Perth, she grew up at Warmun, Turkey Creek, Western Australia. At 30 years of age, mother of six, she has established herself as a strong woman, an enthusiastic painter with an enquiring mind and the ability to fulfil her highest aspirations.
She is ambitious, determined to succeed in the Art World, yet still retaining a deep love of her extended family and always they are uppermost in Charlene’s life. Quick to laugh, generous of herself, a popular loving and much loved lady.
Charlene started painting at an early age – the second child of Churchill Cann and Sade Carrington, both International Artists, her earlier paintings reflected the flowing lines and meticulous method of her mother. She was known to comment when young that she just didn’t feel right when trying her father’s style, but it is now very apparent that many of her paintings are leaning towards Churchill’s swirling strokes and incredible ochre blending.
Texas Downs has produced some wonderful painters, and, although the subject matter of Charlene’s art is wide and varied, she admits to enjoying most of all the camping trips with her family to their home country Texas, and the paintings she completes of that land, with the Dreaming stories which her “kangayi”, grandmother Betty Carrington and her other relatives have taught her.
Undoubtedly her art will be influenced by the artists she has learnt from and painted with – the best – Queenie McKenzie, Jack Britten who taught both Sade and then Charlene, her grandfather Beerbee Mungnari and Uncle Hector Jandany, Rover Thomas, George Mung Mung and many of the senior Warmun artists. However, Charlene is taking the ochre medium into a totally new perspective, still with the Ngarrangkarni (Dreaming) Stories of her Kitja culture.
Awards
1999
- Special Commendation, East Kimberley Art Awards, WA
2002
- Selected as the representative for the ABC's "Loud" Youth Arts Festival
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2006
- Ngarrgooroon Country, Hector Janday and Charlene Carrington, Raft Artspace, Darwin
2004
- Charlene Carrington Solo Show, Span Galleries, Melbourne in conjunction with Seva Frangos
2002
- Kintolai Gallery in conjunction with the Adelaide International Festival of Arts, Adelaide
Selected Group Exhibitions
1994
- Maintaining Family Tradition, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide
1995
- Kids of Warmun, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide
1999
- East Kimberley Art Awards, Kununurra
- Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne
- Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
- Karen Brown Gallery, Darwin
2000
- Bett Gallery, Hobart
- Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
2001
- Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane
- Ochre Show, Short Street Gallery, Broome
- Short on Size, Short Street Gallery, Broome
2002
- Recent Works from Warmun, Framed Gallery, Darwin
- Thornquest Gallery, Southport
- Warmun Group Show, Bett Gallery, Hobart
- Garmerrun: All Our Country, Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide
2003
- East Kimberley Show, Short Street Gallery, Broome
- Ngarrgoorroon, Yiyili and Yarrunga - Four Artists from Warmun, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney
- Six Warmun Women Painting Country, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs
- Waterhole, Raft Artspace, Sydney
2004
- Body of Art, Raft Artspace, Darwin
- Die inneren und die äußeren Dinge. Bamberg, Germany (in cooperation with Aboriginal Art Gallery Bähr, Speyer)
- Women's Figurative Show, Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
- The Next Generation: Balgo And Warmun, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne
2005
- 20th Telstra Aboriginal & Torres Straight Islander National Art Award, Darwin
- Warmun Women, Alcaston Gallery, Fitzroy
- Gija - Across The Border, Raft Artspace, Darwin, NT
2006
- Women from Texas Downs, Gadfly Gallery, Dalkeith, Perth, WA
- Warmun Art Centre Presents, Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, NSW
Selected Collections
- Artbank, Sydney
- Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide
- Art Gallery of Western Australia
Bibliographies
- 2003, Artwork featured on cover of ''Their Stories, Our history'', Melbourne, VIC
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