Fiona Pompey

Michael Reid Sydney is delighted to announce our first solo exhibition by Alice Springs-born, Kaltjiti/Fregon-based artist Fiona Pompey, whose richly absorbing, large-scale paintings will be on view next month in our upstairs gallery and are now available to preview and acquire by request.

Currently on view at the National Gallery of Australia in the landmark exhibition Ngura Puḻka – Epic Country, Pompey’s work interprets the undulating sandhills of the desert Country surrounding Kaltjiti/Fregon on the APY Lands of South Australia, revealing the influence of her late mother, Tali Tali Pompey, a celebrated artist also known for her powerful desert paintings.

“My paintings look down on the land from above, a bit like looking at a map,” says Pompey, who was awarded the Emerging Indigenous Art Award in last year’s Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize. “This is ngura puḻka tali – big sandhill Country.”

Set to overlap with her continued presence in Ngura Puḻka, Pompey’s first solo exhibition at Michael Reid Sydney will bring together her epic, transportive paintings in an expansive presentation, drawing the eye across intricate, fractal markings that trace the rhythmic topographies of her homeland. “Fiona’s artwork captures the vibrancy and colour of the desert landscape,” note the curators of Ngura Puḻka in the exhibition’s accompanying large-format hardback, which dedicates a chapter to Pompey’s practice.

“The ridges of sandhills typical of the desert country around Fregon refer to her mother’s work of tali (sandhills). The small, rounded shapes reflect the habitat of shrubs, trees and bushes. These grow on the sides and at the base of the sandhill where the water collects after the rain. They provide a valuable source of many food-bearing grasses and shrubs.”

Works from Fiona Pompey’s forthcoming exhibition have arrived at Michael Reid Sydney ahead of the official opening in June. To request a preview catalogue and secure a work in advance, please email hughholm@michaelreid.com.au