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Published by CompNet Systems on June 10, 2025

Yala[ara

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: Curtis Taylor

Language: Manyjilyjarra

Community: Parnngurr

Biography:

Curtis Taylor is a Martu artist and filmmaker who grew up between Aboriginal communities Bidyadanga in the Kimberley and Parnngurr in the Pilbara. He comes from a strong lineage of cultural and artistic leaders, including his grandparents Wokka Taylor (dec.) and Kanu (Karnu) Nancy Taylor (dec.), and his parents Desmond Taylor and Colleen Jadai (dec.).

Raised between remote desert communities and Perth, Curtis was immersed in traditional Martu knowledge while also navigating a Western education. This dual experience laid the foundation for his distinctive practice, which explores Martu experience in a contemporary world and engages with themes of identity, language, cultural practice and responsibility. After completing school in 2008, Curtis worked as a Community Coordinator and Youth Development Officer at Martu Media, a division of Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ), and later began formal studies in film and media at Murdoch University in Perth.

Working across film, sculpture, installation and painting, Curtis has developed a practice that speaks powerfully across generations. Central to his work is the use of Martu Wangka, both to preserve language and to reach younger audiences. He is known for his collective approach to filmmaking, often working alongside collaborators and providing opportunities for community members to build skills and explore storytelling. His film projects include Collisions with Emmy Award-winning artist Lynette Wallworth, and collaborations with fellow filmmakers Ishmael Marika and Nathan Mewett.

Curtis’s work has been exhibited widely across Australia and internationally, including at The National: New Australian Art at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; the Sydney Film Festival; Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts; Fremantle Arts Centre; and Furtherfield Gallery in London. He is a key figure in major projects such as Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route, We don’t need a map, and In Cahoots, which celebrate the strength and continuity of Martu culture today.

© the artist / art centre