Carolanne Ken Sold at Auction Prices

Carolanne Ken is from Fregon on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands, 350m south east of Uluru. Her father's country is Mulya Ulpa, near Pilkinga and her mother's country is Walytjitjata, west of Kanypi. Carolanne went to school in Fregon and Woodville High in Adelaide, graduating in 1986. She has worked at Fregon Anangu School, ANTEP and Kaltjiti Arts. In 2004 Carolanne was encouraged to paint by her mother, Iwana Ken, a senior artist.

Initally Carolanne painted her desert country as a landscape, showcasing the wildflowers and small green shrubs dotted across her country. In recent years, Carolanne has developed a unique style that combines traditional motifs with a contemporary edge to depict Minyma Maluli, which was passed down from her maternal grandmother.

Minyma Malilu is an underground cave at Kanypi which is a permanent water supply. Minyma Malilu is also the cave of Minyma Nyumpu - the ancestral crippled woman. During the raintime she dug out this cave with her piti, to be her big 'wiltja' (shelter). She camped here at Kanypi with her 'kungkawara kutjara' (two daughters, young women). She left and moved on south to Kunumata and then further on to Tankaanu

Carolannne has one son Clive Ken, who is married to Molly Frank and one granddaughter, Carlena.