Hazel Morton Kngwarreye

Hazel Morton Kngwarreye was born in 1963 and is the daughter of Kathleen Kemara Morton, who was the second wife of well known western desert artist Billy Stockman Pitjara. Hazel comes from the Utopia region in Central Australia and is from the Alywarre language group from Ngkwarlerlaneme country.

She first became involved in the Aboriginal contemporary art movement in the 1980’s through her involvement with the community project titled “Utopia – A Picture Story”. This workshop used silk batiks as a medium and along with 80 other women from Utopia the project was a huge success and was acquired in full by the prestigious Homes a Court Collection. The collection held many travelling exhibitions around Australia and overseas. Hazel’s batik depicted wild tobacco.

Hazel also took part in the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association project, titled “A Summer Project”, which introduced the women of Utopia to canvas and acrylic paints. The subject of her artwork was wild flowers or Alpeyt and her Dreamings – Awelye (women’s business) as well as Mpwelarr or rainbow. She began painting for Mbantua Gallery in 1991 and has had an extensive career as an artist using her very fine pattern of dot work and symbols within her paintings.

In 1991 Hazel was a selected entrant in the annual National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Australia’s most prestigious art award. Hazel’s artworks have been exhibited throughout Australia and internationally and many of her artworks are held in some of Australia’s most prestigious art collections as well as with the Kelton Foundation in Santa Monica, USA.

Central Art does not have any of Hazel’s artworks at present however we do have artworks by her extended family group such as Lucky, Sarah, and Ruby Morton Kngwarreye, all of who share the same dreaming and style or painting depiction.