No one paints pop culture quite like Kaylene Whiskey. A proud Yankunytjatjara woman and one of Australia’s leading contemporary Aboriginal artists, she’s renowned for her vibrant, joy-filled landscapes that celebrate traditional Aṉangu culture alongside depictions of her self-envisaged heroes – Cher, Tina Turner, Wonder Woman and of course, Dolly Parton. This summer, you can brush shoulders with Whiskey’s star-studded icons at her first major solo exhibition, Super Kaylene Whiskey, coming to the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.
Born in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Whiskey is best known for winning the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ 2018 Sulman Prize for her work ‘Kaylene TV’. Drawing inspiration from her life in rural Central Australia, she creates her pop-culture-meets-country masterpieces at Iwantja Arts in the remote Indulkana Community. Since her Sulman Prize win, Whiskey’s star has only risen: her now-famous 2020 work ‘Dolly visits Indulkana’ was projected onto the Sydney Opera House as part of Badu Gili: Wonder Women, she teamed up with MECCA for a nationwide holiday campaign in 2023, and she created a larger-than-life walk-in TV installation for the 2024 Biennale of Sydney.
Drawn from both public and private collections, Super Kaylene Whiskey will bring together works from the artist’s colourful 15-year career, showcasing paintings, video work, installation and a newly commissioned portrait. In true Whiskey style, pop culture icons will share the stage with strong kungkas (women), uniting two very different cultures and generations. These heroic figures come to life in remote desert community landscapes as they hunt, collect bush tucker, cultivate mingkulpa (native tobacco plant), with Coca-Cola, TV screens and cowboy hats commingling in the background.
Super Kaylene Whiskey will debut at the National Portrait Gallery in the heart of Canberra from November 15, 2025 to March 6, 2026. Tickets are $18 for adults, with free entry for mob and kids. You can find out more here.
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