My Grandmothers Journeyby Marie Napurrulla

Marie Napurrulla was born in 1968 and comes from Central Australia. Marie has seven children and several grandchildren. She relocated from New South Wales to Alice Springs several years ago to retrace her family’s history and reconnect more closely with her Aboriginality.

Marie’s artworks are titled “My Grandmothers Journey” and she uses traditional iconography to depict the physical and spiritual journey that her grandmother would take travelling from place to place on walkabout. Marie imagined the tracks and stopping points that her grandmother must have made as she crossed the hot and arid landscape time after time between cattle stations and the Lutheran mission.

Her grandmother had been a cameleer and Aboriginal women at the time would often accompany the men assisting with local knowledge, and the transportation of goods as well as working as cooks. These journeys were long and difficult and would often require special resilience to cope with the harsh conditions of the desert.

Marie has worked closely with Central Art over a number of years as well as other local Aboriginal art galleries and centres. She can also be found at the local Sunday markets with her paintings. She is a self representing independent artist who is in control of her own art.

Not only a talented artist, Marie is also a fine craft worker and has produced some beautiful bracelets and necklaces for Central Art. She uses an assortment of Gumnuts, Acacia seeds and Ininti seeds in her jewellery which is meticulously crafted. She will often use a dotting technique and paint to decorate the nuts and seeds on her jewellery.

In 2008 Central Art launched Marie’s first ever exhibition titled “The Marie Napurrulla Feature, this was a huge success with the majority of her paintings selling extremely well.

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