Dinni Kunoth Kemarre 1000 goals
acrylic on wood (Erythrina vespertilio)
2 parts, dimensions variable
These sculptures by Dinni Kunoth Kemarre show Sydney Swans player Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin (Noongar-Wajuk) lining up to kick his 1000th goal, and his reaction to a crowd of fans that stormed the Sydney Cricket Ground in celebration. ‘I saw the news when Buddy Franklin kicked the 1000th goal with his left foot, straight down the line,’ says Kemarre. ‘I was happy … Maybe he’s the first Aboriginal man to do that. That’s a good story.’
Since 2005 Kemarre has been a driving force behind the revival of a sculptural practice that first emerged in the Aboriginal homelands of Utopia, Northern Territory, in the 1980s. He works alongside his wife, Josie Kunoth Petyarre, and the pair regularly collaborate on works that celebrate the role of AFL in Indigenous communities. For Kemarre, matches have a family focus and are an opportunity to engage with community.
This is Kemarre’s second time as a finalist in the Wynne Prize, previously having been selected for sculptures of his Australian rules football heroes in 2013.