Untitled This work portrays an area known intimately to the artist, painted here in exquisite detail from memory. During the pujiman (traditional, desert dwelling) era one’s survival depended on their intimate knowledge of the location of resources; thus physical elements of Country, such as sources of kapi (water), tali (sandhills), Read more…
Waru (fire) This work depicts the practice of fire burning as it continues to be used today through the Martu homelands. Over thousands of years, as Martu travelled and hunted on foot they would burn tracts of land, using waru (fire) as a means to assist with hunting and to Read more…
Nyurnma (Freshly Burnt Country), Jurnpa (Ashes) “After the waru (fire) the wiliny (wind) comes through and blows all the jurnpa (ashes). The rain comes and makes it wet. Jurnpa everywhere, ready for yukuri (green grass, vegetation).” – Ngamaru Bidu This work depicts the practice of fire burning as it continues to be used today through the Martu homelands, Read more…
Karlamilyi “This Karlamilyi area, big land. That’s a ngurra (home Country, camp) belonging to our old people, Warnman people. We talk for our land, our jila (snake). I grew up in this Country, my Country. This land belongs to our father. In pujiman (traditional, desert dwelling) days I walked around Read more…
Untitled This is Jatarr’s Country- her ‘ngurra’ (home Country, camp). People identify with their ngurra in terms of specific rights and responsibilities, and the possession of intimate knowledge of the physical and cultural properties of one’s Country. Painting ngurra, and in so doing sharing the Jukurrpa (Dreaming) stories and physical Read more…
Puntawarri “We drink water at Puntawarri. We clean and dig that waterhole. This Country is Puntawarri. My nanna, Dadda, taught me to paint this Country. Puntawarri is important because it is my pop’s, my nannas’ husband’s, place. They camped there and went hunting for goanna or anything, kangaroo or turkey. Read more…
Kulyakartu “Long time ago I been there. It is my grandmother’s, grandfather’s, father’s, [and] mother’s country, Kulyakartu. I am painting this particular place. It keeps me connected, [gives me a] sense of belonging [to] tell my grandmother’s story through my art. Where she was born, I’m a part of that. It Read more…
Untitled Montana is part of the youngest generation of Martumili Artists. She, like her contemporaries, began to paint with her parents, grandparents and extended family, thus fostering an organic process of learning, not only about painting techniques, but also specific locations, family histories, traditional ways of life, and Jukurrpa (Dreaming). In this Read more…
Untitled “When Martu paint, it’s like a map. Martu draw story on the ground and on the canvas, and all the circle and line there are the hunting areas and different waters and tracks where people used to walk, and [some you] can’t cross, like boundaries. So nowadays you see Read more…
Waru (Fire) “This a waru (fire). Nyurnma (freshly burnt) country there, and a waru-waru (green shoots and young plants). After that you got manguu (mature spinifex, able to be burnt).” – Ngamaru Bidu This work depicts the practice of fire burning as it continues to be used today through the Read more…