A new three-panel work commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery showing athlete Cathy Freeman lighting the Olympic cauldron, then winning her gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Games, is at the heart of the big summer exhibition titled Super Kaylene Whiskey.

Freeman, one of Whiskey’s lifelong heroes, appears surrounded by bush tucker, flags and symbols honouring strong women everywhere, “showing Cathy in a new light,” the gallery says.

More than 80 works by Whiskey – long considered one of Australia’s most exciting contemporary artists – place pop-culture icons squarely in the everyday life of her home community of Indulkana, celebrating the strength and humour of First Nations women alongside all others.

Among her many “superheroines” are Dolly Parton, Cher and Wonder Woman, all woven into scenes of desert life.

“She is having a good time, making a party to celebrate wherever she goes – go Super Cathy,” Whiskey said.

Whiskey told the assembled media on Friday morning about the process by which she taken her love of comic books to canvas over a long period of time, bringing her “super ladies” to art.

She also described how she had taken the story of the seven sisters – the constellation – into her own narrative – “they’re all power women [kungka kunpu],” she said. Her own pantheon of superstars includes Tina Turner, Wonder Woman, Okoye from Black Panther, Supergirl, Whoopi Goldberg, Cher and Dolly Parton.

Whiskey, a Yankunytjatjara woman working from Iwantja Arts in the Indulkana community of the APY Lands in SA, is a three-time Archibald finalist and winner of the 2018 Sulman Prize, has risen to prominence rapidly, buoyed by collaborations with fashion label WAWO MECCA and the National Gallery of Victoria.

Her work, Dolly Visits Indulkana, was projected on to the sails of the Sydney Opera House in 2021.

One of the major installations, Kaylene TV, is a giant three-dimensional television set from which her characters seem to burst beyond the frame.

Exhibition curator April Phillips says Whiskey’s work offers a powerful way for First Nations pop-culture to explore identity through lived experience.

Super Kaylene Whiskey, National Portrait Gallery until March 9.