![Australian Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) artwork by MARY ROBERTS NAKAMARRA of Papunya Tjupi Artists. The title is Yalka Tjukurrpa (Bush Onion) - Murini. [524-16] (Acrylic on Linen)](https://media.redotgallery.com/stockroom/gallery/y/yalka-tjukurrpa-bush-onion-murini-4285-SMALL.jpg)
MARY ROBERTS NAKAMARRA
Yalka Tjukurrpa (Bush Onion) - Murini
Painting goes back two generations in Mary Roberts Nakamarra’s family, but so far she is the only one of her five siblings to take up painting. She joined Papunya Tjupi in 2008, having been taught how to paint on canvas by her father Murphy Roberts Tjupurrula, who was one of the most respected senior lawmen in the Papunya community and also a Lutheran pastor. Murphy worked in the church at Haasts Bluff when Mary was a young girl and she remembers watching her maternal grandfather Limpi Tjapangati, one of the early Papunya Tula painters, working on his canvases. Elements of his distinctive style are discernible in Mary’s work.
Born in 1974, Mary attended school at Haasts Bluff until she was eleven years old. Her family later moved to Papunya, where her father continued his role as a Lutheran pastor and worked in the Papunya school, composing many titles for the Literature Production Centre. After completing her studies at Yirara College in Alice Springs, Mary returned to Papunya where she worked for ten years in the Papunya preschool as a teacher’s aide.
Mary’s aunty Lorabelle Puntungunka, her mother’s younger sister, had joined Papunya Tjupi Arts at the outset. It was Lorabelle who told Mary she should paint her grandfather’s stories. Mary said, "she told me to paint before she passed away. I was thinking that I want to paint that story". Mary continues to refine her distinct visual language and is now one of the most sought-after artists of Papunya Tjupi.
Painting goes back two generations in Mary Roberts Nakamarra’s family, but so far she is the only one of her five siblings to take up painting. She joined Papunya Tjupi in 2008, having been taught how to paint on canvas by her father Murphy Roberts Tjupurrula, who was one of the most respected senior lawmen in the Papunya community and also a Lutheran pastor. Murphy worked in the church at Haasts Bluff when Mary was a young girl and she remembers watching her maternal grandfather Limpi Tjapangati, one of the early Papunya Tula painters, working on his canvases. Elements of his distinctive style are discernible in Mary’s work.
Born in 1974, Mary attended school at Haasts Bluff until she was eleven years old. Her family later moved to Papunya, where her father continued his role as a Lutheran pastor and worked in the Papunya school, composing many titles for the Literature Production Centre. After completing her studies at Yirara College in Alice Springs, Mary returned to Papunya where she worked for ten years in the Papunya preschool as a teacher’s aide.
Mary’s aunty Lorabelle Puntungunka, her mother’s younger sister, had joined Papunya Tjupi Arts at the outset. It was Lorabelle who told Mary she should paint her grandfather’s stories. Mary said, "she told me to paint before she passed away. I was thinking that I want to paint that story". Mary continues to refine her distinct visual language and is now one of the most sought-after artists of Papunya Tjupi.
