"This is my brother Dusty's country, he was born here. It is my country too but I was born at Jigalong. This country is the otherside of Puntawarri - my mother told me stories about this place. It's good country."
This painting depicts Yurl Yurl, located in the country surrounding Jigalong, where the artist lives. The artist's home county lies to the east of Jigalong Community. While growing up at Jigalong mission, the artist returned to her home every weekend to hunt and camp Dada is recognised as a great authority in Jigalong and is particularly knowledgeable about Country in that area. Many of her paintings have a hovering, vibrating quality that is thoroughly grounded in Country, jukurrpa (dreaming) and history, even while it challenges stereotypes of 'traditional' desert paintings.
Martumili Artists was established in late 2006 and supports Mart artists in Kunawarritji, Punmu, Parnngurr, Jigalong, Irrungadji (Nulagine) and Parnpajinya (Newman). Many Martu artists have close relationships with established artists amongst Yulparija, Kukatia and other Western Desert peoples and are now gaining recognition in their own right for their diverse, energetic and unmediated painting styles.
Their works reflect the dramatic geography and scale of their homelands in the Great Sandy Desert and Rudall River regions of Western Australia. Martumili Artists represents speakers of Manyjilyjarra, Warnman, Kartujarra, Putijarra and Mart Wangka languages, many of whom experienced first contact with Europeans in the 1960s.
The artists include painters, working in acrylics and oils, as well as weavers coiling baskets and sculptors working in wood, grass and wool.
Martu artists proudly maintain their creative practices whilst pursuing social and cultural obligations across the Martu homelands.