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Bush Flowers

Martumili Artists work with over three hundred artists from remote Martu Aboriginal communities, including Punmu, Parnngurr, Kunawarritji, Jigalong, Irrungadji (Nullagine), and Warralong, as well as from the Parnpajinya (Newman) gallery and studio spaces. Known for their diverse, energetic, and unmediated painting styles, their works reflect the dramatic geography and scale of their homelands. Each artist, however, brings a unique approach to their craft.

Younger Martu artists often start painting alongside their parents, grandparents, and extended family, which fosters an organic learning process. This not only involves mastering painting techniques but also understanding specific locations, family histories, traditional ways of life, bush tucker, and Jukurrpa (Dreaming). Over time, with encouragement from their peers, they develop their own distinct styles and explore unique painting techniques and subject matter. In this work the artist brings a contemporary, evolving perspective to their work.

Categories: Shire of East Pilbara (Martumili Artists)

Name: Natasha Williams

Language: Kartujarra

Community: Parnngurr

Biography:

Martu artist Natasha Williams has lived in Parnngurr Aboriginal Community her entire life. She began painting with Martumili Artists in 2007, and comes from a strong family of artists, including her mother Noreena Kadibil and sister Sonia Williams. Natasha’s work is characterised by a melding of ancestral tradition and contemporary community life.

Natasha’s artworks often explore Jukurrpa (Dreaming) stories, bush tucker and medicine, and scenes from everyday life, such as community football carnivals and important social gatherings. She has also depicted the journey of her grandmother Daisy Kadibil along the Rabbit Proof Fence – a powerful intergenerational story of survival made famous in the film Rabbit Proof Fence.

Natasha’s painting style combines naïve, expressive depictions of desert landscapes and community events with traditional symbology and aerial views of Country. Her practice is a vibrant expression of traditional cultural knowledge, lived experience, and familial legacy.

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