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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.

Name: Natasha Surprise


Language: Manjilyjarra


Community: Punmu


Biography:

“Hi, my name is Natasha and I went to Rawa [school in Punmu]. I like to paint waterholes.”


– Natasha Surprise

 

Emerging artist Natasha Surprise began painting with Martumili Artists in 2022. Her work focuses on the distinctive plant life, geographical features, and waterholes of her ancestral Country—especially Wirnpa in the Percival Lakes region, Kunawarritji, and Punmu. Through her painting, Natasha expresses a strong connection to her desert homelands and family histories.


© the artist / art centre