Carlene Thompson
I am always telling the story of my father’s country, a place called Kanpi. I am drawing the tjulpu (birds) and mamu (mischievous spirits) and ngura (county). I want to make something different this time for ceramics. The tjulpu makes a circle in the sand for a maṉngu (nest). The nest holds the whole family. These rings on the ceramics are the circles the tjulpu make on the ground. Family tell the children stories about mamu when they are sitting around the fire at night time. The stories are scary to make them behave.”
— Carlene Thompson
Carlene is a senior woman and leading artist in the Ernabella community. At various times she has sat on the Board of Ernabella Arts and was the Chair for several years. She is currently a Board member of Ku Arts.
Carlene was born Carlene De Rose in Finke in 195O. She met her husband, Kunmanara (Kawaki) Thompson OAM, at De Rose Hill, and they were married there. Her late husband was a highly regarded senior Pitjantjatjara man who was a major figure in the APY Land Rights Movement. Carlene and her husband had one son and five daughters, three of whom also work at the art centre.
Carlene started painting at the art centre in 2OO7 and quickly developed a very individual style, and in 2009 she began to concentrate on ceramics. Her work is contemporary while being based on Country. She often tells the story in her artworks of the creation being of her family’s country, the kalaya (emu).
Carlene’s art has been shown in many exhibitions both nationally and internationally. It has also been acquired for the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery Collection and the Queensland Art Gallery Collection. Carlene has been a finalist in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards three times. In 2019 Carlene had her first solo show Kalaya Ngura- Emu Country at Alcaston Gallery in Victoria, and in 2021 her first solo exhibition at Sabbia Gallery in Sydney.