Biography - Bernadine Johnson
Born: 1974
Country: Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa), Northern Territory
Language: Arrente
Bernadine Kemarre is an emerging artist in the world of contemporary Aboriginal art. Her meticulous attention to detail in her work has caught the attention of critics and patrons alike. Bernadine was born in 1974 in the Ltyentye Apurte Community (Santa Teresa), approx. 80km east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and had a traditional upbringing before attending school in Alice Springs.
Bernadine comes from a family of famous artists including Abie Loy and Josie Patrick Kemarre who emerged from the Utopia region north east of Alice Springs in the NT. She is also the sister-in-law of Anna Price Petyarre, one of the most sought after Aboriginal artists painting today.
Bernadine learned at a young age to represent her Dreamings on canvas. Her paintings depict sacred details of ceremonies, of gathering bush tucker, of traditions and of special places in her Country. Despite her education and travelling between her Country and a home in Adelaide, Bernadine remains very close to her community and culture as expressed in her Bush Medicine and Bush Yam paintings. Her exquisite attention to detail sets her work apart as thoughtful and meaningful.
Bernadine currently lives with her husband Steven and their children in their home on Napperby Station, new Alice Springs and in Adelaide.